A Grand Slam final between the incumbent and incoming World No.1 was always going to be a classic contest, but it was Elena Rybakina‘s moment at the US Open. For a second time this year, the Kazakh beat Aryna Sabalenka in a Major final, and won the third Major of her career. Known for her calm composure on the court, the new No.1 was overwhelmed by the win, but that did not stop her from giving due credit to her opponent and her team.
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“I just want to say, Aryna, you are a great champion. It’s so difficult to play against you. You pushed to such a limit. I was diving on the court and just trying to get all the possible balls,” said Rybakina in her victory speech. “Yeah, just congrats to you for all the achievements. Congrats to your team. You guys are doing an amazing job, really.”
Rybakina was not wrong when she said about diving around the court, as the Kazakh’s ever-reliant serve was not working in the first set. However, she had the opportunities in the first set, with break points in the third game, but failed to convert. The Kazakh kept the pressure up on return games and broke Sabalenka’s serve in the fifth game to take a 3-2 lead. From then on, the second seed held her serve to win the first set 6-4. The set was a huge miss from Sabalenka, as she could not get a single break point, despite Rybakina making only eight of her first serves.
Rybakina had Sabalenka on the ropes once again, as she had break points early in the second set, but the Belarusian was able to save them. The two players held serve until 5-4, when Sabalenka made her move, earning two set points on Rybakina’s serve. However, the second serve yet again came to the rescue for Rybakina, who leveled it at 5-5. The pressure did get to the Kazakh in her next service game, as Sabalenka finally broke serve to win the set 7-5.
Rybakina took some time off the court before the third set and came back with renewed vigor. She challenged Sabalenka in the opening service game but could not find a break. By now her serve was firing on all cylinders as she dropped only three points on her serve in the final set, and did not face a single break point. She broke Sabalenka’s serve in the third game to go up 3-1, and then, for good measure, practically ended the Belarusian’s challenge by getting the double break to go 5-2 up.
Stepping up on the line, Rybakina served expertly to have two match points at 40-15. Even though she showed slight nerves by making a double fault on the first one, there was no stopping her the second time around. Hitting a bullet ace down the line, the new World No.1 clinched the title in Flushing Meadows.
Elena Rybakina Trumped Aryna Sabalenka With Her Mentality
Even though Sabalenka had a 10-7 head-to-head record against Rybakina before the final, their matches have always been competitive. In New York, however, the mentality of both players was on display as much as their brutal groundstrokes.
Sabalenka was right on the edge emotionally, which is nothing new for the Belarusian, as she loves to play with her emotions on her sleeve. The top seed was visibly agitated whenever she could not win a point or made an unforced error, even earning a code violation for ball abuse when she made a double fault to get broken in the first set. After getting broken for the final time in the third set, she threw her racket onto the ground with a dismayed expression on her face.
Rybakina, on the other hand, was expressing her irritation over missed shots towards her box, but not to the extent of her opponent. She was calm in second-serve situations, as her first serve was not up to the mark in the match. Even though she made less than fifty percent of her first serves, she won more than eighty percent of the points behind the shot. On return, she bided her time, getting three crucial breaks in the match.
For Rybakina, the US Open win is a significant milestone in her career, as her participation itself was in doubt after she got a leg injury at the Cincinnati Open. However, the new World No.1 showed her ability to come back from tough situations, making her an ideal successor to Sabalenka at the top of women’s tennis.