In her first appearance at a Grand Slam tournament, Elena Rybakina defeated Ons Jabeur 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 to win her first major championship in her career in Saturday’s Wimbledon women’s singles final. Elena Rybakina was all too shaken up celebrating her victory over Ons Jabeur, giving her nation Kazakhstan its first grand slam title at Wimbledon. Elena Rybakina defeated Ons Jabeur in Saturday’s Wimbledon final, becoming the first Kazakh tennis player to win a grand slam singles championship. Rybakina was born in Moscow and has represented Kazakhstan since 2018 when that country offered her funding to support her tennis career.
Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan became the first Kazakh player to win a Grand Slam singles championship as she came back from one set down to defeat Ons Jabeur of Tunisia. Not only did the 23-year-old become the first player from her country to win a Grand Slam title, but also became the youngest Wimbledon champion since 2011. Lifting the Venus Rosewater Cup for the first time, Kazakhstan Elena Rybakina was named Wimbledon Champion. It was surely the moment of a lifetime for Rybakina. Rybakina is ranked No. 23. Since the WTA computer rankings began in 1975, just one woman ranked lower than Rybakina won Wimbledon — Venus Williams in 2007 at No. 31, although she had been No. 1 and already won three of her five career Wimbledon trophies.
This was the first women’s title match since 1962 at Wimbledon between two players who were making their debuts in a major final.
It was not until over two hours into her Wimbledon Championships match against her rivals that Elena Rybakina was overwhelmed with the significance of it all, including earning her adopted country’s first Grand Slam singles trophy. Nearly two hours, big rallies, lots of hurries, and then her victory in 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 over Ons Jabeur.
Even at this point, Ribakina’s response was muted, just the slightest gasp, the slightest glimmer of a smile.
“Happy that it finished, to be honest,” she said, “because really, I never felt something like this.”
She added later: “I don’t know what should happen. When I was giving a speech in the end I was thinking, ‘I’m going to cry right now,’ but somehow I hold it. Maybe later when I’m going to be alone in the room, I’m going to cry nonstop. I don’t know.”
Rybakina used her big serve and powerful forehand to overcome Jabeur’s mix of spins and slices at Centre Court. Rybakina ended the No. 2-ranked Jabeur’s 12-match winning streak, which came entirely on grass courts. The 23-year-old play early on betrayed some jitters, too, which makes sense considering it was her debut in a Grand Slam title match.
The huge-serving Rybakina, who had dropped just one set all tournament until her first Grand Slam final, was broken in game three by Jabeur, taking the early lead. Elena Rybakina eventually earned the first break opportunity of the second set to take an early 1-0 lead as Ons Jabeur missed with her forehand. Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina will take home $2.5m with the trophy, and Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur earned $1.3m.
When one last serve drew a missed return off Jabeur’s racket, Rybakina seemed to sigh, before breaking into a little smile.
Not long after, she climbed over the front-row wall to make the trek through the stands for celebratory hugs with her team.