Jelena Rybakina wins US Open final: duel with a lot of future

B efore the first rally in the final of the US Open was played on Saturday, a loss was already certain: the Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka would have to give up her position as world number one, which she held for an impressive 99 weeks, to her opponent Jelena Rybakina. As the defending champion, she was able to gain few ranking points, but the Russian-born Rybakina, who has been competing for Kazakhstan since 2018 and was in the final of the US Open for the first time, was able to.

The fact that Sabalenka was also defeated in the direct duel after three sets (4:6, 7:5, 2:6) particularly frustrated her. Especially since it could have been her third US Open triumph in a row. So far, only Chris Ewert and Serena Williams have achieved this in professional tennis. Because of the missed opportunity, the 28-year-old, who is known for her emotional nature, first smashed her racket.

The new No. 1 in the world has a completely different mind. She has earned her reputation as a stoic and is often called the “Ice Princess”. Her Wimbledon victory in 2022 caused great astonishment, but observers at the time were no less surprised by her frugal joy. And when it became clear recently that she would lead the world rankings, her statement was also very sober: "Being number 1 means a lot to me. But I don't think about it like that. That'll probably happen when I end my career and look back."

For Sabalenka, Rybakina's self-control seems a bit scary. After the loss, she advised her: “Have fun today, tomorrow and until the end of the season so I can win a few titles too.” Rybakina had already triumphed in the final against Sabalenka at the Australian Open. The duel could determine women's tennis in the coming years. “I feel like we push each other to do our best in such tough battles,” Rybakina said after the game. It is still difficult to process what happened. There are too many successes in just a few weeks.

Sabalenka and Rybakina's playing style is quite similar. Both have a hard serve and maintain a powerful baseline game. Remarkably, on Saturday Rybakina was able to compensate well for the fact that her first serve often didn't come well.

Former US Open winner and ex-world number one Lindsay Davenport holds her controversial coach Stefano Vukov largely responsible for Rybakina's successes this season: "Everything changed for Rybakina after Stefano Vukov was allowed back into her camp," the American told the sports broadcaster Tennis Channel.

At the beginning of 2025, the professional organization WTA banned the Croatian for violating the code of conduct. According to a report from The Athletic, Vukov allegedly abused his authority over Rybakina and endangered her well-being. WTA boss Portia Archer is said to have described him as having “toxic behavior” and “mental abuse”. His appeal against the ban was probably successful in August 2025 because Rybakina defended him and then brought him back into her team. Vukov, she assured, had never treated her abusively. After the US Open final, Rybakina enthused on Saturday: “I have a great team, great people around me.” (With material from dpa)