ASTANA – Elena Rybakina has officially become the new World No. 1 in women’s singles, making history as the first Kazakh tennis player to top the WTA rankings, and has crowned the milestone with victory at the U.S. Open.
Elena Rybakina celebrates her US Open triumph with the championship trophy. Photo credit: KTF
Rybakina defeated Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in the U.S. Open final on Sept. 13 in New York.
The victory secured Rybakina’s third Grand Slam singles title. She won her first major at Wimbledon in 2022 and claimed the Australian Open title earlier this year.
Following the tournament, Rybakina moved from second to first place in the WTA rankings with 9,901 points, ahead of Sabalenka with 7,875 and U.S. Jessica Pegula with 7,265 points.
Her rise to the top was confirmed after her semifinal victory over China’s Zheng Qinwen, which guaranteed her the No. 1 ranking regardless of the final result. Rybakina subsequently capped her historic campaign by lifting the U.S. Open trophy.
At 27, Rybakina became the 30th woman in WTA history to reach the world No. 1 position.
President of the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation Bulat Utemuratov congratulated Rybakina on her achievement, calling it “a tremendous victory for Elena and a historic day for Kazakhstan’s tennis.”
