Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina became the new US Open women's singles champion and made a candid admission right after her triumph, infohub.kz reports.
In the final, the Kazakh player defeated Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka to claim her first US Open title. Previously at the American Grand Slam, Rybakina had never advanced past the fourth round.
"It's hard to find words right now. Honestly, I didn't expect anything like this when I came to this tournament. I was struggling a bit with an injury. But somehow everything worked out in my favor," Rybakina said during the trophy ceremony.
The champion thanked her team, family and friends for their support. She also addressed Sabalenka, who stood nearby and could not hold back tears during her speech.
"Aryna, you are a great champion! It's very tough to play against you. You push everything to the limit. I doubted myself on court and tried to get to every ball. Congratulations to you and your team on all your achievements! You really do an amazing job.
Of course, I thank everyone who contributed to such a wonderful atmosphere. I've been coming here for the last ten years and never had success. Nothing close to what's happening now. It's just incredible... I'm falling in love with New York more and more. These are amazing memories for me," Rybakina said.
The Kazakh player added that she looks forward to returning to the US Open next season.
When the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) rankings are updated on September 14, Rybakina will become world No. 1.