Who is Elena Rybakina? All you need to know about Kazakhstan tennis star, US Open's newest champion

Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina emerged victorious in the 2026 US Open women's singles final as she defeated Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in the final to clinch her maiden title in New York.

That was her third Grand Slam title, after having won the Wimbledon championships in 2022 and the Australian Open in 2026.

This means that the only Grand Slam Rybakina is yet to win is the French Open, wherein her best finish was a quarter-final appearance in 2021.

Rybakina rose to world No 1 in the WTA rankings during the 2026 US Open, when she defeated China's Qinwen Zheng in the quarter-finals. That made her the first-ever Kazakhstani to achieve the world No 1 title.

Who is Elena Rybakina?

Elena Rybakina was born on 17 June, 1999, in Moscow, Russia. She started playing tennis as a child after initially taking part in gymnastics and ice skating.

Rybakina developed as a junior in Moscow and trained at the Spartak Club. Her progress accelerated after she committed fully to tennis and began working with a private coach.

She switched sporting nationality from Russia to Kazakhstan in 2018 after receiving support from the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation (KTF). The KTF stepped up with full financial backing, travel funding and coaching resources in exchange for her representing the country.

Her breakthrough on the WTA Tour came in 2019. Rybakina won her maiden WTA singles title in Bucharest and later reached another final in Nanchang. She ended that season ranked No 37, a significant improvement from her year-end ranking of No 191 in 2018.

Rybakina's Grand Slam breakthrough

Rybakina's first major title arrived at Wimbledon in 2022. She defeated Ons Jabeur in the final to become the first player representing Kazakhstan to win a Grand Slam singles title. The victory also established her as one of the leading players of her generation.

She came close to adding another major soon afterwards. At the 2023 Australian Open, Rybakina reached her second Grand Slam final, where she faced Aryna Sabalenka. Although she won the opening set, Sabalenka eventually prevailed in three sets.

The 2023 season nevertheless brought further progress. Rybakina won the Indian Wells and Rome WTA 1000 tournaments and reached the Miami final. She also broke into the world's top 10 for the first time following her Australian Open run.

From Grand Slam champion to world No.1

Rybakina added another major milestone in 2025 by winning the WTA Finals in Riyadh. She went undefeated throughout the tournament and defeated then-world No 1 Sabalenka in the final.

She carried that momentum into 2026, winning the Australian Open for her second Grand Slam title. Rybakina defeated Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in the final in Melbourne. The victory made her a two-time Grand Slam champion and gave her a second major title after Wimbledon in 2022.

Rybakina also won the Stuttgart title later in the season, taking her career total to 13 WTA singles titles.

The latest milestone in Rybakina's career came in September 2026. The WTA announced that she would become the new women's world No 1 after the US Open, making her the first player, male or female, from Kazakhstan to reach the top of the rankings. She is also the 30th woman in WTA history to become world No 1.

At 27, Rybakina has therefore progressed from a promising junior in Moscow to a Grand Slam champion, WTA Finals winner and world No 1. Her rise has made her one of the most accomplished tennis players representing Kazakhstan.