By Amy Tennery
NEW YORK, Sept 12 (Reuters) – The stars aligned in Elena Rybakina’s favour for a U.S. Open triumph the Kazakh never expected on Saturday, as she walked out of New York the champion and new world number one despite an injury that once threatened to derail her campaign.
Rybakina beat the twice defending champion Aryna Sabalenka for the trophy little more than three weeks after an ankle injury that forced her out of the Cincinnati tune-up tournament, leaving fans to question whether she would even compete in New York.
She quieted those concerns with a series of comprehensive victories, beating former champions Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff before a cool-headed triumph over the Belarusian.
“It’s tough to find words right now, honestly. I didn’t expect nothing like this coming to this tournament,” said Rybakina, after collecting her third major title and second of the season. “Somehow everything aligned together.”
Rybakina had not played for seven days in the run-up to the tournament, hardly the preparation she had hoped for, and told reporters that doubts over her fitness lingered until the eve of the major.
But the doubts turned to confidence as she got past the fourth round of the hardcourt major for the first time in her career before ending Sabalenka’s 99-week run at the top of the rankings.
It will be the first time she has achieved the world number one, in a memorable season that included her Australian Open win, also over Sabalenka, and runner-up performance in Toronto.
“I want to say thank you of course to such beautiful spectators for such beautiful atmosphere. I honestly was coming here for last 10 years and it never was successful,” said Rybakina.
“I am falling in love with New York more and more.”
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Alistair Bell)
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