Elena Rybakina has described her matches against Aryna Sabalenka as genuine battles, championat.ru reported on Monday.
Speaking about the rivalry, Rybakina said their meetings on court have consistently turned into hard-fought contests, according to the Russian outlet. The two players have faced each other repeatedly on the WTA Tour, and Rybakina's comments underline how competitive those encounters have been.
The same reporting round included Rybakina's account of meeting Maria Sharapova after the US Open final. Rybakina said Sharapova came across as very friendly during their conversation, Sportbox reported. Rybakina also spoke about getting to know the former world No. 1, a detail carried by Sports Mail.
Separately, Rybakina has become the first player to qualify for the WTA Finals, according to Match TV. That confirmation adds to a strong season for the Kazakh player, who has now secured her place at the season-ending event ahead of the rest of the field.
The wider discussion of Sabalenka's year also drew comment from Dinara Safina, who told championat.ru that she saw something of a gap in Sabalenka's results after Miami in 2026.
Rybakina's remarks about Sharapova and Sabalenka came in the same period as her WTA Finals qualification, tying together her current form and her place among the tour's leading names.
What to watch next: how both Rybakina and Sabalenka perform through the remainder of the hard-court season and into the WTA Finals.
