Rybakina beats Sabalenka for US Open title after injury-hit preparation

Elena Rybakina defeated Aryna Sabalenka 6-4 5-7 6-2 in Saturday's US Open final to claim her third Grand Slam singles title, completing a tournament she had entered with a painful foot injury. BBC Sport reported that the Kazakh player will also take over as world number one on Monday, replacing the opponent she beat for the championship.

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The 27-year-old had aggravated the injury during her Cincinnati quarter-final against Iga Swiatek last month. According to the BBC, Rybakina said an MRI after her arrival in New York was concerning and that walking remained painful for several days. She went a week without practising on court while her team and a doctor based in Australia worked on a recovery plan, with daily gym sessions forming part of her preparation.

Once competition began, Rybakina won her first four matches without losing a set, beating Naomi Osaka along the way. Her later rounds brought victories over Zheng Qinwen in the quarter-finals and Coco Gauff in the semi-finals before she faced the two-time defending champion. Reaching the last four had already secured her ascent to the top ranking, so the final determined the title rather than her place atop the standings.

Rybakina took the opening set despite landing just 27% of her first serves. The BBC's match account recorded that she still won 22 of the 30 points played on her serve and did not face a break point in that set. Sabalenka extended the contest by breaking in the 12th game of the second set, forcing a decider that Rybakina won 6-2.

There was a late complication as Rybakina served for the championship: two double faults preceded the finish. At 40-30, however, she delivered her 12th ace of the match to seal the victory. The result repeated her win over Sabalenka in January's Australian Open final and gave Rybakina two victories from their three meetings in Grand Slam finals, all contested on hard courts.

Monday's rankings will make Rybakina the 30th woman to hold the number-one position, ending Sabalenka's 99-week spell there. Her US Open success adds to Wimbledon in 2022 and this year's Australian Open, leaving the French Open as the only major singles title missing from her collection. She has not advanced beyond the quarter-finals at Roland Garros, although she won the Rome clay-court WTA 1000 tournament in 2023.