Mumbai, Sept. 14 -- Last month, Elena Rybakina wasn't sure if she would be able to play a match at the US Open. She played, and won, all seven. Last season, Rybakina did not go past the fourth round of any of the four Grand Slams. This season, she went all the way in two. Last year, on September 15, she was world No.10. On September 14, 2026, she will be world No.1. As the US Open champion. That's some stamp of statement to go with the turnaround tale. The Russian-born Kazakh wasn't done dethroning the incumbent from the top spot. She took her title too on Saturday night. Rybakina defeated two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 for her first US Open crown after a high stakes, high quality final. This was the 2022 Wimbledon champion's third Grand Slam trophy, and second this year after beating the Belarusian at the Australian Open too, after a similar three-set back and forth. Yet, this US Open triumph felt different, perhaps more special, for the 27-year-old. It takes a lot to get Rybakina to raise both her arms in celebration. Even more to walk around grinning. And even more to hold back tears on court. "It's going to be very different to wake up knowing that you won the US Open and achieved the No.1 ranking," Rybakina said in the press conference. "This tournament was more stressful, because I was playing for No.1, and then this injury happened. Every day was a challenge." That foot injury happened in Cincinnati 10 days before her first match in New York. Rybakina did not train for a week, and did not know how she would turn up at the US Open. With four straight-set sweeps in the first week and battling wins from a set down in the quarters and semis, Rybakina went from not making the last eight of the season-ending Slam before to being the last woman standing. A frequent presence in the second week of majors, Rybakina wasn't herself last season. Her long time coach, Stefano Vukov, was suspended by WTA in January 2025 for an alleged code of conduct breach but returned in August. "A lot of things (were) happening," said Rybakina of last season. "Now I feel like I have a great team, great people around me. We continued the work. And it finally paid off."...