Rybakina’s Emotional US Open Victory

She had let the second set go, and said so. “In the second we were going both, each game, we were taking our serve. She just played in these same important moments more aggressive. She just went for the shots. I had some little opportunities, made couple of mistakes.”

By her own account, what turned the final was a small decision taken once Sabalenka had levelled it at one set all. “In the third set, I told myself that I can still do it. I need to focus on my serve and just risk a little bit more when I have the chance.” She broke at 1-1, again at 4-2, and served it out.

This atmosphere is just something unbelievable, and it doesn’t feel real for now.

The opening set had been strange in the same way. She landed barely a quarter of her first serves and won it anyway, taking 68% of the points behind her second, and she says she was aware of the number while it was happening.

“I was thinking about this, and that I need to really improve the first-serve percentage. It was not going,” she said. “But then I was still trying to pick a spot and at least go a little bit more with the second serve. Few double faults here and there, but I kind of had a plan in my head, and I was just sticking to it. After, in the important moments, my serve got better, and it helped me a lot.”

When it finished she could not describe any of it. “It’s still so difficult to process what happened. Too much achievements these few weeks. I’m super happy, very proud of all the work. Difficult to find words, but super happy.” On court, taking the trophy, she had said the same thing twice: “It’s tough to find words right now, honestly,” and then, at the end, “this atmosphere is just something unbelievable, and it doesn’t feel real for now.”

Ten years of getting nowhere in New York

None of it had happened here before. Rybakina first came to Flushing Meadows as a junior a decade ago and, until this fortnight, had never been past the fourth round.

She lost in the third round in 2021 to Simona Halep, 7-6 (11), 4-6, 6-3. She lost in the first round in 2022 to Clara Burel, 6-4, 6-4, six weeks after winning Wimbledon. She lost in the third round in 2023 to Sorana Cirstea, 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-4. She went out in the second round in 2024. And last year she lost in the fourth round to Marketa Vondrousova by 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, which is the scoreline she won by on Saturday.

She put it plainly on court: “I’ve also been coming here for the last 10 years and it was never successful. Nothing close to that.” And in the interview room: “For some reason, New York wasn’t my best place for tennis for the past years, but definitely now it changed.”

Told she had been unhappy about being scheduled on Court 12 shortly after winning Wimbledon in 2022, she corrected the record. “Actually, I was not saying anything. I was okay.” As world No. 1 and US Open champion, she is unlikely to see Court 12 again.

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