When Elena Rybakina won her first major championship—Wimbledon, in 2022—observers noted her low-key victory celebration.
asserted
observers → win → celebration
Rybakina barely registered a fist-pump.
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Rybakina → register → pump
Her opponent in that final, Ons Jabeur, joked she’d have to teach Rybakina “how to celebrate properly.”
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she → joke → Rybakina
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.
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she → deliver → 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?
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outlasting → outlast → tradition
We’re not asking for a hardcourt snow angel over here.
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We → ask → angel
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.
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her → make → final
By winning two majors this year, Rybakina became one of the standout global athletes, across sports, in 2026.
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Rybakina → win → 2026
On Monday, she’ll take the world’s No. 1 ranking from Sabalenka.
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she → take → Sabalenka
Rybakina, 27, just goes about her business.
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Rybakina → go → business
She aced Sabalenka, again, to clinch her third career major on Saturday.
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She → ace → 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.
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crowd → raise → 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.
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Rybakina → mark → message
That approach, combined with her 2026 performance, is certainly worth our admiration.
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approach → combine → admiration
Late in the second set, the match almost turned.
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match → turn → set
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.
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Sabalenka → go → court
New Yorkers connect with Sabalenka, in part, because she can be neurotic, in public, just like them.
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she → connect → them
All of a sudden, however, Sabalenka had two chances to break Rybakina’s serve and win the set.
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Sabalenka → have → set
While Rybakina held her serve that game, Sabalenka, 28, capitalized on her third set-point chance.
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Sabalenka → hold → chance
A strong return on a Rybakina second serve forced an error, and the match was now headed into a deciding third set.
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match → force → set
Sabalenka had the crowd, keen to see a three-peat, on her side.
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crowd → have → side
She had the experience of winning the prior two U.S. Open finals.
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She → have → finals
It stood to reason she’d capitalize on her good fortune, and at least make the last set competitive.
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set → stand → fortune
Shockingly, that didn’t happen.
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that → happen → ?
Rybakina deserves all the credit.
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Rybakina → deserve → credit
“I told myself that I can still do it,” Rybakina says.
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Rybakina → tell → it
“I need to focus on my serve and just risk a little bit more when I have the chance.”
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I → need → chance
Rybakina doubled Sabalenka’s ace count, 12 to 6, in the match.
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Rybakina → double → match
In the third set, Sabalenka did not win a single point while returning Rybakina’s first serve, going 0 for 10.
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Sabalenka → win → 10
Rybakina is the first player representing Kazakhstan to win a U.S. Open singles title.
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Rybakina → represent → title
She was born and raised in Russia, but the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation offered her more financial support, so she switched allegiances in 2018.
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she → bear → 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.
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she → skate → sports
So she took up tennis.
MRI.
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she → take → MRI
It didn't look that great.”
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It → look → ?
She went a week without picking up a racket.
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She → go → racket
“I was just going from my hotel room to the gym, three hours there a lot of recovery, treatments,” she says.
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she → go → recovery
Rybakina struggled walking.
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Rybakina → struggle → ?
Now, she’s lifting the U.S. Open trophy.
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she → lift → trophy
And while she didn’t celebrate on the court, her understated vibe might end there.
uncertain
vibe → celebrate → court
“Don't know what we're going to do yet,” she said of her Saturday night post-victory plans in New York.
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she → know → York
…and 1 more, not listed.
