Elena Rybakina beats Sabalenka to win US Open and become world number one
Rybakina dethroned Sabalenka to claim her first US Open title and replace her as world number one.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Elena Rybakina is the new US Open champion and world number one after a straight-sets victory over Aryna Sabalenka in the women's final at Flushing Meadows. The Kazakh player, who had been struggling with a foot injury in the build-up to the tournament, produced a composed performance to dethrone the two-time winner and seal her first major title in New York.
Sabalenka, who had spent 99 weeks at the top of the rankings, was visibly frustrated after the match. She was seen throwing her racket before congratulating the victor, and the crowd appeared to be firmly behind the Belarusian throughout. That made Rybakina's achievement all the more impressive, as she overcame both her opponent and the partisan atmosphere.
Rybakina arrived in the city unable to walk without pain after injuring her foot a month earlier. She leaves, however, as the US Open champion and the new world number one, a remarkable turnaround. The men's final was scheduled to take place later on the same day, with Alexander Zverev facing Ben Shelton, who had been serving at over 150 miles per hour. Zverev was expected to provide a stern test, setting up what promised to be a thrilling conclusion to the year's final Grand Slam.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Sky News |
|---|---|
| Rybakina beat Sabalenka to win the US Open title. | |
| Rybakina had been injured a month before the tournament and could barely walk on arrival in New York. | |
| Sabalenka had been world number one for 99 weeks before losing the top spot. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Sky News focused on the drama of the match, particularly Sabalenka's poor reaction and the crowd's support for her, which heightened the significance of Rybakina's win. The report also highlighted Rybakina's injury comeback and looked ahead to the men's final, giving a broader view of the day's tennis schedule.
- “The winner at Rybakina dethroning the two-time winner, Sabalenka, to seal her first US Open title.”
- “Yeah, she didn't really take it very well from the looks of things. There was a lot of frustration after the game.”
- “She actually arrived in New York unable to walk without pain, because she'd injured her foot a month ago.”
Broadcast Timeline
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