Kazakh tennis player Elena Rybakina, who missed the chance to top the world rankings for the first time due to injury, has decided to withdraw from the mixed doubles at the US Open, reports infohub.kz.
In the updated Women's Tennis Association (WTA) rankings released today, Rybakina retained the second spot, trailing only Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka. Had Elena reached the final in Cincinnati, she would have risen to the top of the rankings for the first time in her career. However, a frustrating injury intervened, casting doubt on the Moscow-born player's participation in the major. For now, Rybakina has only withdrawn from the mixed doubles, where her partner was to be American Taylor Fritz. Instead, Jessica Pegula of the US will play with Fritz.
Pegula herself reached the final of the prestigious Cincinnati tournament last week, where she lost to compatriot Coco Gauff 4:6, 4:6. In the semifinals, Pegula defeated Poland's Iga Swiatek, who had earlier beaten Rybakina, 7:5, 4:6, 6:4. Having failed to defend last year's points, Swiatek dropped to eighth in the rankings.
Most players will spend the upcoming week on the courts of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York. Some will compete in the US Open mixed doubles, which starts tonight. Others will practice or begin qualifying for the major, where there is also good money to be earned.
31-year-old Yulia Putintseva chose a different path. The Kazakh went to Mexico for the WTA-500 tournament in Monterrey but failed to qualify. In the first round, Putintseva defeated her peer, home favorite Victoria Rodriguez (world No. 433), 6:4, 6:3. However, in the second round she lost to 20-year-old Australian Maya Joint (67) 6:0, 3:6, 1:6.
In Monterrey, Kazakhstan is also represented by Anna Danilina, who had to change partners. Serbian Aleksandra Krunic and Croatian Mate Pavic will play in the mixed doubles at the US Open. Danilina, meanwhile, formed a pair with Japan's Miyu Kato (41) in Mexico. The Kazakh-Japanese duo is seeded fourth.
The US Open is an annual Grand Slam tennis tournament on hard courts, the last of the four majors in the calendar year. Traditionally, the US Open begins on the last Monday of August. For the second consecutive year, the tournament starts a week earlier due to the rescheduled mixed doubles. The 2026 US Open will take place from August 23 to September 13.
The tournament was first held in August 1881. It is the only major that was not interrupted during the two world wars or the coronavirus pandemic. In addition to the five main draws, the tournament features veterans, juniors, and wheelchair tennis players. Since 1978, matches have been held at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Queens, New York.
The defending champions in the main draws are Spain's Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka.