Elena Rybakina rides ‘ups and downs’ to transform status among tennis elite | Tumaini Carayol

US Open champion’s relationship with her previously banned coach remains under spotlight despite her rise to the top In the bitter aftermath of her straight-sets defeat by Elena Rybakina at the WTA Finals last November, an inconsolable Aryna Sabalenka walked over to her courtside player box and slumped into a chair.

Sabalenka had been completely overpowered by her opponent, a strange and unusual feeling for such a powerful player, and she was seething.

Sabalenka eventually settled on a popular Russian idiom to explain Rybakina’s untouchable form, which she believed was fortunately timed: “Once a year, even a stick shoots,” she said.

That stick, it turns out, has spent the past year shooting straight at Sabalenka in every significant match.

Rybakina’s dominant performance in Riyadh was a clear warning and she has dominated the hard-court grand slam tournaments this year, defeating Sabalenka in the Australian Open and US Open finals.

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