Stats, social buzz and more from Rybakina's US Open win
Elena Rybakina's three-set victory against Aryna Sabalenka in Saturday's US Open final earned her a series of milestones.
Already assured of reaching the top of the PIF WTA Rankings on Monday, Rybakina's 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 win was the cherry on top of a well-deserved cake.
It came with a reception fit for the new queen of the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz.
Congratulations, Elena Rybakina, on your first U.S. Open title! And cheers to @SabalenkaA on a terrific and hard-fought match.
— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) September 12, 2026
Rybakina meets Sharapova for first time
Rybakina received the US Open trophy from Maria Sharapova, who was on-hand in New York to celebrate the 20th anniversary of her 2006 triumph.
The usually-stoic Rybakina said that it was the first time she'd ever spoken to the former World No. 1 and International Tennis Hall of Famer, and that the interaction had much more substance then when they first crossed paths early in her professional career.
"I saw her really close in the locker room, she was about to go on her match," she said. "I don't know, I felt like so much energy coming from her, and she's just someone that I was watching on TV when she used to play, of course, winning big titles and it was a special moment to talk with her.
"I lost my thought, but if it's about Maria, that was just something I never thought might happen to have a conversation like this. She was very nice also."
Stats that mattered
Sabalenka had won her last 19 matches at the US Open before seeing her streak ended.
Some notable numbers for Rybakina included:
- 85% first-serve points won, despite only landing 47% of them
- 36 winners struck, to just 24 unforced errors, plus 12 aces
Quote of the Day
Q. How has your love of New York grown from that moment after winning Wimbledon and being on the outer courts to obviously now?
ELENA RYBAKINA: Yeah, well, I came here first time ten years ago as a junior, and for me it was already such an amazing place, and it was so loud, so different from other places.
Honestly, after winning Wimbledon, a lot of things was happening that year also. I feel like, especially here, no matter which court you play, it's always full. It's always amazing atmosphere.
For some reason, New York wasn't my best place for tennis for the past years, but definitely now it changed, and I hope that next time when I come, it's going to begin until the very end.