Elena Rybakina won her first U.S. Open championship on Saturday in New York, defeating two-time defending champion and top seed Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2. The victory marks the third Grand Slam crown of Rybakina's career and her second title of the year.
The win punctuated the Kazakh player's climb to the top of women's tennis, as she officially became the new world number one. Sabalenka, who had been attempting to become the first player to win three consecutive U.S. Open titles since Serena Williams from 2012-14, was dethroned in the three-set match.
Rybakina's triumph came despite an ankle injury that had once threatened to derail her campaign. By overcoming those concerns and frustrating the Belarusian top seed, she demonstrated why she is now the best women's player in the world.