How Rybakina conquered New York: Ice-cold mentality, powerful serve & iconic jersey

You may have noticed it. She played most of the tournament in a stylish yellow outfit. It was almost a parallel to cycling traditions, where the leader of the Tour de France rides in a yellow jersey.

And in New York, it was also about the status of being number one. During the US Open, the changing of the guard at the top of the women's world rankings was a hot topic. After all, Aryna Sabalenka had ruled for an uninterrupted 99 weeks. And Rybakina took on the challenge.

She played almost every match under the radar, but drew more and more attention as the tournament went on. And in the end, she managed to accomplish the tough task.

"When I arrived at this tournament, I didn't expect anything like this. I was dealing with a minor injury. But somehow, everything just fell into place," she admitted candidly.

Key moments

Rybakina vs Zheng 3-6, 6-1, 6-4

After four smooth victories without dropping a set, the quarter-finals brought a test of mentality. It was in the match against the unpredictable Chinese opponent, who had dropped more than 100 places in the WTA rankings during the year, that Rybakina could accomplish her first goal.

She knew that a win would move her to world number one. She lost the first set to the Olympic champion, but then her increasingly precise and aggressive game started to click, and after a comeback, there was a huge sense of relief. 

"I was very nervous, I didn't play my best, but that makes me even happier that I managed to do it. I'm proud of myself," said a happy Rybakina, who would reach the top of the WTA rankings for the first time in her career.

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Rybakina vs Gauff 3-6, 6-4, 6-4

In the semi-finals, Rybakina faced not only Coco Gauff, but also the home crowd. And once again, she lost the first set. But again, it was a matter of patience. Once the Kazakh player found her rhythm and started hitting her first serve, Gauff had only minimal chances to keep up, and her set lead quickly disappeared.

In the final set, Rybakina had an 87% first serve efficiency, but she also won crucial points on return and with her relentless defence.

"It was such a tight third set. But I feel like I got a bit lucky on her serve," she admitted graciously after the match. She certainly disappointed America, as Coco was the last American hope in the women's draw.

Rybakina vs Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2

And for the third time, a three-set battle. It was a clash between the ice-cold queen and her impulsive, highly emotional rival. And also an exceptional tennis match between the two best players in the world.

Sabalenka threw away many rallies due to impatience and emotions. And even though Rybakina found herself under pressure after losing the second set, she once again put on her poker face for the decider and calmly waited for her opponent's mistakes.

The result was two breaks and, in the end, a relatively easy finish to the match. Sabalenka lost her chance to complete a New York hat-trick and smashed her racket while waiting for the ceremony.

In this match, Rybakina confirmed her exceptional status. She defeated a world number one for the 10th time (10-8). Only she, Steffi Graf, and Serena Williams have a positive record in this regard.

Key numbers

3 - This was already Rybakina's third Grand Slam title, and each time she has triumphed at a different venue. She started at Wimbledon in 2022, won Melbourne this January, and now has added the US Open trophy to her collection.

Remarkably, she is also the first player in the Open Era to win her first three Grand Slam titles in three-set battles each time.

24–4 - It was well known that Rybakina's game is most effective on hard courts. But her record on outdoor hard courts in North America this year was truly exceptional. Out of 28 matches, she won 24.

She reached the finals in Indian Wells and Canada, the semi-finals in Miami, and her worst result was a quarter-final in Cincinnati. The US Open triumph only underlined the world number one's dominance on this surface.

54 - Rybakina hit 54 aces across her seven matches on her way to the title. And it wasn't just about unreturnable serves that her opponents couldn't react to. If she landed her first serve, she won the rally in the vast majority of cases (206 out of 254).

Only Alycia Parks had a better efficiency (83%), but she was eliminated in the first round.

Until this year's edition, Rybakina had really struggled at the US Open, reaching only one round of 16 in seven appearances. But this time at Flushing Meadows, she convinced everyone - and perhaps the extra motivation helped: she knew that if she made it past the quarter-finals, she would become the best player in the world.

"I've been coming here for almost 10 years, but I've never been successful. Not at all. So this is unbelievable for me. I'm falling in love with New York more and more," she said in her speech while receiving the trophy.

This time, the mission was accomplished.