US OPEN

September 9, 2026

Elena Rybakina

Press Conference

E. RYBAKINA/Z. Qinwen

3-6, 6-1, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations. Moving on. Hard-fought, three-set win. Going down to 4-4 in the third. Your thoughts?

ELENA RYBAKINA: Yeah, very difficult match. Very stressful. Didn't start my best and found a way in the end. Super happy.

Yeah, a lot of thoughts was going through the head in the beginning, but glad that I managed to find a way.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Congratulations on the win and becoming World No. 1 next week. It takes a lot of hard work and sacrifice to be World No. 1 at anything, much less on tennis. In the context of all you have had to go through to achieve this, what does it mean for you to know that you'll be No. 1 in the rankings on Monday?

ELENA RYBAKINA: Well, it means a lot, of course, but as I was saying before, I don't think about it so much. It's a great achievement, and I feel like you will appreciate and think about it even more when you finish your career.

Like now, you still need to keep on going, and it's nice whenever you're done to say, Okay, I won these tournaments, I've been No. 1, it's amazing, but right now it's great. You never know how long you're going to stay. It's still many things. I want to win the titles still in the tournaments, so all my thoughts are just for the next match.

Q. You mentioned on the court a little trouble with the sun and the shadows when you started in the daytime. Just wondering, would you rather have that, or would you rather play 3:00 in the morning like Alcaraz last night? Which is tougher to play your best tennis?

ELENA RYBAKINA: Yeah, I think both options are not the greatest (smiling). I mean, playing at night is very difficult and so late, because after, if you win, to recover, yeah, it's very tough, especially for the guys.

In the morning, if I would play maybe one or two matches in the morning, maybe it would have been easier. I don't know.

Yeah, I was a bit complaining to myself, maybe to the team a bit, but yeah, I found a way. Now, since I already played in the morning, I played in the evening, so there is nothing to complain anymore (smiling).

Q. Can you talk about what your dreams were when you were a kid? Was No. 1 something you ever thought about when you were a child?

ELENA RYBAKINA: No. When I was a kid, I never thought that I'm going to be professional or I'm going to be even playing on these kind of tournaments on the biggest stages.

My choice of staying professional was at 17 years old, and this is where I believed that I can do well. Of course, I didn't know how far I can come.

But yeah, as a kid, I was just enjoying playing tennis after school, hanging out with the friends. It was just for fun.

Q. Considering what you were just saying about yourself as far as No. 1 is concerned, that you'd appreciate it probably more after your career ends, but what do you think something like this will do in Kazakhstan and how it would be received over there? It's never happened before.

ELENA RYBAKINA: Yeah, it's history, and I'm very proud representing Kazakhstan. Every time I come back to Kazakhstan, no matter which city I go, it's always so many kids.

Now they play tennis, and the more and more are coming to the tennis facilities. It's just amazing how many, yeah, young people are looking up to you, and it just proves that everything is possible if you believe, if you work hard.

It's tough for me to say right now, because I didn't even check the phone, but of course a lot of people are congratulating.

Well, I'm not in Kazakhstan right now, but when I go there, I definitely want to give appreciations, and yeah, it feels amazing going back to Kazakhstan. Unfortunately not that often I can go, but I think it's an amazing achievement for the country, definitely.

Q. Congratulations on today and becoming World No. 1 starting next week. Obviously you're still fighting for this title, but you've also won two other Grand Slam titles. How are you currently comparing this new achievement of World No. 1 with your Grand Slam titles?

ELENA RYBAKINA: It's a different achievement, and I feel like you're going for the titles more, and then ranking, it might follow up, maybe not. Depends on how other plays.

But mostly you think about the titles in the end of the day, and I'm glad I have two right now. I try my best to win here. If not, of course I will have other chances.

But it will be nice to say, Okay, I've won, I don't know, three out of four if it's going to be this time here. If not, I feel like every time, all the results, all the achievements, you really appreciate and you can reflect only a little bit later, not in the moment when everything is happening.

Q. How important was the conversation you had with your coach at the end of the first set to turn the momentum of the match, and what was it about?

ELENA RYBAKINA: I was quite negative and didn't start well the first set, so I would say that I came and I was just letting the emotions out a bit, telling everything what was on my mind.

He just kept me focused and tried to tell for me to remember what we talked before the match, what I should do.

Yeah, I feel like also in the first set I was few moments passive, not enough energy, and the second set I stepped in and played a little bit more aggressive in the important moments.

Q. You are so emotionally hard to read on court. What do you tell yourself in these moments? Are you actually really calm like you appear, or do you ever freak out inside?

ELENA RYBAKINA: No, of course it's a lot of things going on inside, and I mean, people who knows me well, long enough, they read even little changes in my face.

As I said, it was a bit of a battle even inside myself, a lot of emotions. Yeah, it was just quite negative in the beginning, but then I found the way. I found the focus, and it got better.

But definitely there is a lot going on always.

Q. You kept saying that many negative thoughts have gone through your mind. Where and when it came from? I mean, did you feel that not good even on, like, practice in the morning or it happened all of a sudden while you stepped on the court?

ELENA RYBAKINA: In the practice I felt actually well, but as soon as we started to play, I didn't feel the ball as well as I played my last match.

Like, of course last match I played, everything was going in, and it was just nice feeling. Today I was struggling a bit to find the contact point. It was sun, shadow. Sometimes I was reacting too late on the ball, especially on the return, so a lot of small things like this.

Yeah, in your head, you just, instead of focusing on maybe what you need to do next, focusing on these details, which is not -- they are not letting you play freely.

Q. Talking about emotions, there is a guy on the men's side called Jannik Sinner. He's as much cool cat as you are. When we're talking about emotions, I think it was at the French Open he said, Believe me, inside, there is a storm.

ELENA RYBAKINA: Yes.

Q. I want to know how windy it was in yourself.

ELENA RYBAKINA: Well, it's a lot of emotions. I'm trying to hide it, because yeah, you just don't want to let the opponent also see your frustration when something is going wrong.

The best I did in that moment is just come to the box, let it out. They listened to me, and actually I was missing today one more person in my box. Unfortunately he got sick, so every day for us is a surprise.

Yeah, it's been a difficult morning, but we managed, yeah, to do everything we could. Yeah, just happy.

Q. You mentioned a little while ago when asked about the No. 1 ranking that right now your focus is on your next match. We don't know who the opponent will be. They're out there playing right now, so I'd like to ask separately about each one. Starting with Mirra, what are your thoughts about her game and how you match up against her?

ELENA RYBAKINA: She has a very good serve, and she reads the game well. She can play aggressive but also very good defense.

I feel like I will need to come to the net more often probably to finish the rallies. Yeah, important for me to have high percentage on the serve, to start the rally aggressive.

Yeah, I think there is no easy opponent, so only tough one. Everybody has their advantage on the game, and you just need to try your best, enjoy, and yeah, hopefully it's going to go my way.

Q. And then if you face Coco, you'll be facing Coco and also she'll have the crowd behind her, most likely. What are your thoughts about the atmosphere and about her game?

ELENA RYBAKINA: If I play Coco, of course I will expect that a lot of people going to support her. It's normal.

We practiced many times. We played recently also, so we know each other.

Again, I just need to stay aggressive. Try not my emotions not let me play, and yeah, just enjoy. I think from where I was coming to this tournament, being injured and not practicing, I think we came pretty far.

Now we just last pushes and important to still enjoy. Yeah, hopefully it's going to go my way.

Q. You mentioned that recent matchup. That was in Toronto. Is there anything specific from that matchup that you can bring toward this one?

ELENA RYBAKINA: I didn't even think yet about my opponent, so it's very tough to give you a good answer. Whoever wins, I will talk with my team, refresh my mind, and we'll see.