Elena Rybakina settles into Beijing as No. 1 after a whirlwind stretch
BEIJING -- Elena Rybakina will compete in a tournament as both the World No. 1 and the top seed simultaneously for the first time in her career.
Fresh off a third Grand Slam title at the US Open -- where she captured the No. 1 ranking and booked her ticket to the WTA Finals at Indian Wells -- Rybakina will be the China Open's top seed and will play Armenia's Alina Charaeva in Saturday's second round.
The immediate goal for Rybakina is to keep that No. 1 next to her name for the remainder of the season.
Looking foward, she'd love to get a Roland Garros title to complete the Career Slam.
"I mean, now I'm No. 1, which is great," Rybakina said during her media day press conference Thursday. "Still it's not end of the season. I would like to push and finish at No. 1.Who knows what's going to happen. It's a lot of good players, a lot of tough opponents. Anything can change. That's the goal for now."
World No.1 Elena Rybakina arrives for 2026 ChinaOpen, making her first appearance since winning the US Open. #ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/I8SaFnDCkJ
— China Open (@ChinaOpen) September 28, 2026
Since winning the US Open on Sept. 12, it's been a event-filled couple of weeks that's made it a "very quick turnaround" for Rybakina. The day after, she embarked on a New York City media tour, appearing on the sets of "CBS Mornings" and "Today" by NBC before jetting off back to Europe and Asia for more celebratory festivities ahead of Beijing.
Notably, Rybakina was welcomed by the President of Slovakia, Peter Pellegrini, in the Presidential Palace in the capital, Bratislava, where she often trains and spends time. Furthermore, the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, hosted Rybakina at the Akorda Residence in the capital, Astana.
In Astana, Rybakina was awarded Kazakhstan's Order of Barys, third degree, for her sporting achievements and contribution to the development and promotion of Kazakhstani tennis.
"Well, since it's been a lot of traveling also, I passed by Bratislava [and] then I went to Kazakhstan," Rybakina said. "I did some commitments which I had to do. Unfortunately I didn't manage to also do different stuff which I wanted -- with the kids, some clinics. I spent very nice time in the house resting, relaxing. It's been a good time."
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1
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8,370 | |
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6,743 | |
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5,638 | |
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3,566 | |
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3,035 | |
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3,018 | |
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2,917 | |
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2,898 |
Rybakina is the first player to represent Kazakhstan to become a World No. 1, and when asked what the mentality of a top ranked player should be, she didn't have a specific answer and rather explained it's about enjoying the moment while she can.
"I have no idea. I just [became] No. 1. I feel like the most important is to enjoy. It's not easy always. For that I have people around me. Sometimes I can be down or up, it's important to enjoy," Rybakina said.
She's now settled Beijing, where's partaken in a few practice sessions after primarily focusing on her rest and recovery. For a bit now, Rybakina has been dealing with a lingering foot issue, and Thursday, she admitted she felt it a little bit during training but was the first practice in Beijing that she did feel it slightly.
"Since I was resting, my foot was a bit better," Rybakina said. "Now I'm back on the court, I still feel here and there. Again, I try to push myself, see how far I can go in this tournament.
"Mentally, I think that now I'm better. It's been a lot of things after US Open definitely. I'm ready."
Rybakina will face Charaeva, who defeated Yuliia Starodubtseva 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 in the first round. In two previous Beijing appearances, Rybakina's finishes were the semifinals in 2023 and third round in 2025.
