NEW YORK — As Elena Rybakina finished school, a professional tennis career was not necessarily in the cards. She was weighing university offers in the United States when the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation spotted her at a tournament and offered another direction.

It was a consequential decision for Rybakina and her family, though there was no way of knowing then where it might lead. Nearly a decade later, the significance of that decision is hard to miss.

On Saturday, Rybakina won the US Open for the first time, defeating two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka — the player she had passed days earlier to become the new World No. 1.

Now on Monday, Rybakina has become the first singles player to qualify for the 2026 WTA Finals in Indian Wells.

Not a bad return on two weeks in New York.

“Actually I didn’t even realize that I also qualified,” Rybakina told wtatennis.com after the US Open final. “It feels amazing, and the achievement of becoming No. 1 at first was so stressful. Now, also winning the title here, it’s tough to believe, and I still need a couple of days.”

Rybakina will compete in her fourth straight WTA Finals as the defending champion. She also owns a title at the BNP Paribas Open and was a finalist there earlier this year. Now, a little more than 50 days after leaving New York with the sport’s biggest prizes, she will return to the desert for the season-ending championship.

“It’s great to be in the final eight again,” she said. “A bit of a change in the calendar at the end of the year. I definitely have great memories from Indian Wells. It’s going to be different, but I definitely will enjoy it and hopefully do well.”

A quiet, steady ascent

Rybakina’s climb began to gather momentum in Ningbo last fall. Ranked No. 9 and outside the qualifying places for the WTA Finals in Riyadh, she won the title there, booked her spot in the field and went on to win the year-end championship.

Since then, Rybakina has added titles at the Australian Open, Stuttgart and the US Open, plus finals at Indian Wells and Toronto and seven more quarterfinals. By New York, the gap between Rybakina and Sabalenka had finally disappeared.

In New York, it was only fitting that Rybakina became the 30th World No. 1 in WTA history two matches before dethroning Sabalenka, the player who had held the ranking for the previous 99 weeks.

As Rybakina’s career has grown, she has watched Kazakhstani tennis grow with it. Young children are now practicing at new facilities around the country, and Rybakina has become someone they can see at the pinnacle of the sport.

“I want to share this moment with all the people in Kazakhstan who supported, who watched,” Rybakina said in press. “Especially kids. I always say there are so many kids that are coming to the tennis facilities. They all want to play tennis, which is a great thing. [I just want to] celebrate such an achievement for the country all together.”

Still, this is not the end for Rybakina. 

“The goal is always the biggest tournaments — you want to win them — so the Grand Slams and just try to find the balance and be stable,” she said. “We will see what’s going to happen, but it’s still a lot of work to do.

“The job’s never done, to be honest.”

As she received the final touches of makeup ahead of her champion’s photoshoot, wtatennis.com spoke with Rybakina inside Arthur Ashe Stadium:

After capturing the No. 1 ranking a few days ago, you said it’d be something you’d reflect upon more after your career. There are many more years and achievements to come, but what legacy do you want to leave on the sport?

Rybakina: I’m super happy that, for now, I won three different Grand Slams. I think that’s a really cool thing and difficult to achieve. For the future, I would like to win French Open to make it four of them [smiling].

I definitely want to stay at the top as long as possible. It not only depends on me, but also other players. I will try to continue the work, make right decisions and hopefully stay No. 1 as long as possible.

You are now the 30th No. 1 in WTA history, and on stage, you were presented the US Open trophy by former No. 1 Maria Sharapova. To share the moment with Maria, what was that like for you?

Rybakina: That’s a crazy number. 

I talked to Maria for the first time today, actually. I saw her when I was just coming to the tour, and we played the same tournament. Then, I saw her really close in the locker room, she was about to go on her match, but we never spoke.

I felt so much energy coming from her, and she’s just someone that I was watching on TV when she used to play and win big titles. It was a special moment to talk with her. I lost my thought, but if it’s about Maria, that was just something I never thought might happen to have a conversation with. She was very nice also.

Previously, you’ve said that, when you were young, you never thought you’d be a professional tennis player, let alone World No. 1, and expressed your gratitude to your country’s support. Could you share how much the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation has given to you?

Rybakina: Kazakhstan has given me so much. The opportunity to try myself in the professional tour, it was a big decision for me and my family. I was just finishing school, so I had a lot of offers to go to universities in the United States. Somehow, the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation saw me on one of the tournaments where I had a good run.

They believed in me, and a lot of other people in Kazakhstan believed in me and helped me on my way. I’m very grateful. It’s a history for the whole country, and I just can’t wait to go there and celebrate with all the people who follow me, who love me, and most importantly, people who believed in me from the very beginning.

Do you think you’re playing the best tennis of your career?

Rybakina: From today’s match, yes, I can confidently say that today was a very good match in the level of focus I kept. Of course, we’re all humans, we make mistakes, but today, it was really a great match for my side, especially against such a tough, experienced opponent.

Aryna likes this place a lot, she won so many times, but I feel right now is definitely my best tennis.

As a player who is reserved on court, it seems you internalize these accolades in a humble, respectful way. Where does that humility come from when it comes to processing your growing achievements? 

Rybakina: As you said, I’m a very calm person. I know that there are a lot of people involved in my growth and development in tennis. I’m just proud, not only the work I put in every day, but also the work my team is putting in for me, and the people who believe in me. All this success is definitely not only mine, it’s everybody’s.

I don’t know how we’re going to celebrate, but there are definitely more emotions I’m feeling that my closest people know.

It might be fitting to have a honey deuce. Have you had one before?

Rybakina: I know what it is, but I actually never tried the honey deuce. Maybe it’s going to be time for me to try [smiling].