When Elena Rybakina won her first major championship—Wimbledon, in 2022—observers noted her low-key victory celebration. Rybakina barely registered a fist-pump. Her opponent in that final, Ons Jabeur, joked she’d have to teach Rybakina “how to celebrate properly.”
Rybakina’s second Slam, the Australian Open earlier this year, wasn’t all that animated either: another left fist, maybe more of a smile, after she delivered an ace to bounce Aryna Sabalenka in Melbourne.
Would outlasting Sabalenka again, on a Saturday in New York City, to thwart Sabalenka’s well-publicized attempt at a U.S. Open three-peat, compel Rybakina to at least fall to the ground, as per tennis tradition? We’re not asking for a hardcourt snow angel over here. But Rybakina’s 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 victory over Sabalenka in Saturday’s U.S. Open final didn’t just make her a first-time U.S. Open champion. By winning two majors this year, Rybakina became one of the standout global athletes, across sports, in 2026.
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On Monday, she’ll take the world’s No. 1 ranking from Sabalenka.
How about a mere leap, Elena?
Not here, not now. Rybakina, 27, just goes about her business. She aced Sabalenka, again, to clinch her third career major on Saturday. She raised her arms, hugged Sabalenka at the net, and clapped her racket, gently, as the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd gave Rybakina her due. In a tournament marked by the “look at me” behavior of influencers and other clout chasers—in the stands blocking walkways and at times interrupting on-court proceedings with murmurs and selfies—Rybakina sent the opposite message. That approach, combined with her 2026 performance, is certainly worth our admiration.
Late in the second set, the match almost turned. All was going Rybakina’s way: Sabalenka, known for on-court histrionics, had already been pegged with a ball abuse violation, had bounced a racket off the court in frustration, and spent some time berating herself on the court. New Yorkers connect with Sabalenka, in part, because she can be neurotic, in public, just like them.
All of a sudden, however, Sabalenka had two chances to break Rybakina’s serve and win the set. While Rybakina held her serve that game, Sabalenka, 28, capitalized on her third set-point chance. A strong return on a Rybakina second serve forced an error, and the match was now headed into a deciding third set.
Sabalenka had the crowd, keen to see a three-peat, on her side. She had the experience of winning the prior two U.S. Open finals. It stood to reason she’d capitalize on her good fortune, and at least make the last set competitive.
Shockingly, that didn’t happen. Rybakina deserves all the credit.
“I told myself that I can still do it,” Rybakina says. “I need to focus on my serve and just risk a little bit more when I have the chance.” Her serve was too strong. Rybakina doubled Sabalenka’s ace count, 12 to 6, in the match. In the third set, Sabalenka did not win a single point while returning Rybakina’s first serve, going 0 for 10.
Rybakina is the first player representing Kazakhstan to win a U.S. Open singles title. She was born and raised in Russia, but the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation offered her more financial support, so she switched allegiances in 2018. Rybakina ice skated and did gymnastics when she was younger, but her height—she’s now 6 feet tall—disqualified her from a professional career in those sports. So she took up tennis.
A foot injury forced her to retire from an Aug. 20 quarterfinal in Cincinnati. Her U.S. Open status was in peril. “We arrive to New York,” she says. “We did
MRI. It didn't look that great.” She went a week without picking up a racket. “I was just going from my hotel room to the gym, three hours there a lot of recovery, treatments,” she says. “Yeah, couple dinners to also a little bit switch the mind.”
Rybakina struggled walking. Now, she’s lifting the U.S. Open trophy. And while she didn’t celebrate on the court, her understated vibe might end there.
“Don't know what we're going to do yet,” she said of her Saturday night post-victory plans in New York. “But I'm sure it's going to be a lot of fun.”
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