Kazakhstan's top male tennis player, Alexander Bublik, reacted to Elena Rybakina's triumph at the 2026 US Open and her rise to No. 1 in the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) rankings. After the tournament ended, he posted a congratulatory message on his Telegram channel, according to infohub.kz.
"Congratulations to Lena, the Federation and all of Kazakhstan on the victory and the No. 1 ranking. This is a lot of work that has been done over many years, and you deserve all these wins," Bublik wrote.
In the US Open 2026 final, Rybakina defeated Aryna Sabalenka in three sets, 6-4, 5-7, 6-2. The Kazakh player became the tournament champion in New York for the first time and claimed her third Grand Slam title.
Even after reaching the semifinals, Rybakina had guaranteed herself the top spot in the WTA rankings. She became the first representative of Kazakhstan to lead the world singles rankings and the 30th world No. 1 in the history of the women's tour.
Bublik himself finished the singles tournament in the third round. The Kazakh player first defeated American Jeffrey Wolf (6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1), then routed France's Adrian Mannarino (6-3, 6-1, 6-1).
In the third round, Bublik played a five-set match against American Tommy Paul. The Kazakh player led 2-1 in sets but ultimately lost 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 1-6, 3-6. The match lasted 3 hours and 13 minutes.
Bublik also competed in the doubles draw alongside China's Shang Juncheng. In the first round, they defeated Sebastian Baez and Fabian Marozsan (6-2, 6-4), but withdrew from the tournament before their next match.