Kazakhstani tennis player Elena Rybakina defeated Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in the US Open final and will become the world No. 1

Rybakina won the US Open for the first time, beating in the final the world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus. For the 27-year-old tennis player representing Kazakhstan, it is her third Grand Slam title after Wimbledon in 2022 and the Australian Open in 2026.

Following the US Open, Rybakina will become the world No. 1 in the women’s singles rankings, replacing the Belarusian player in that position. Sabalenka had topped the rankings for almost two years.

Rybakina was born in and began training in Moscow, but in mid-2018 she started competing for Kazakhstan after she was unable to find a sponsor in Russia. She became the first representative of this country to win a Grand Slam tournament.

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