Elena Rybakina had every reason to freak out on Saturday morning.
As the No. 17 overall seed and heavy underdog in the women’s singles final at Wimbledon, Rybakina — a Russian-born player who has represented Kazakhstan since 2018 — overcame a 6-3 opening-set defeat to take down No. 3-seeded Ons Jabeur from Tunisia with 6-2 victories in each of the final two sets.
It was Rybakina’s first grand slam title and the first for Kazakhstan. At 23 years old, she’s the youngest women’s Wimbledon champion since 2011. Given that her previous best grand slam singles finish was in the quarterfinals at last year’s French Open, it was certainly an emotional moment.
But upon pulling off the big-time upset, she kept things cool, calm and collected with her celebration. I mean, this was just ice-cold in the best possible way.
FROM 100-1 ODDS! WHAT A COMEBACK!
Elena Rybakina becomes the youngest Wimbledon women's champion since 2011 🏆 pic.twitter.com/sKSu7xQ3yV
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 9, 2022
Even the commentators noted Rybakina’s business-like demeanor after dispatching Jabeur, the current No. 2 player in the world. Jabeaur has four career singles titles but is still looking for her first grand-slam win after Saturday’s result.
Rybakina, meanwhile, is a rising star in the sport. She currently ranks 23rd in the world but reached a career-best ranking of No. 12 earlier this year. After her colossal win on Saturday, she should find herself back in the top 15 (if not higher).
The win gives Rybakina her third overall title on the Women’s Tennis Association Tour, and there could be a lot more where that came from.
She may even look excited next time.
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