Andy Roddick states what he found ‘strange’ about Elena Rybakina’s first-round victory at the US Open
Elena Rybakina began her quest for the US Open title with an efficient victory over home favourite Thea Frodin on Tuesday evening.
Rybakina, who is chasing the world number one ranking in New York, advanced to the second round with a 6-3, 6-2 victory.
Which WTA player will leave the US Open as the world number one?
Four women are in contention!
The Kazakhstani’s victory marked her first match since she suffered a worrying left ankle injury in the Cincinnati Open quarter-finals.
Andy Roddick, the 2003 US Open Men’s Singles champion, has offered his opinion on Rybakina’s first performance in New York and her physical state.
Andy Roddick discusses Elena Rybakina’s ‘strange’ US Open victory
“It was strange. She hit the ball amazingly well. Was kind of not moving for balls. I think she is hurt,” Roddick said on the Served Podcast.
“She would lean to the corners and not urgently move in. There were little things where she was kind of protecting.
“I don’t know where she is at. She hit the ball perfectly. Serving and returning was unbelievable.
“Maybe she is freed up because she knows that she can’t [run far]. The biggest gift you can give a tennis player is clarity.
| Year | Titles | Tournaments |
| 2026 | 1 | Australian Open |
| 2025 | 3 | WTA Finals, Ningbo, Strasbourg |
| 2024 | 3 | Brisbane, Abu Dhabi, Stuttgart |
| 2023 | 2 | Indian Wells, Rome |
| 2022 | 1 | Wimbledon |
| 2020 | 1 | Hobart |
| 2019 | 1 | Bucharest |
“Even if she is injured, she knows she has to do x, y, and z to win at all. I do not think she is completely healthy, though.
“It seemed like there was a conscious choice not to quick burst. The only chance she had, and she executed it perfectly, was ball striking.
“If in the middle of the court, try and hit a winner. The serve was going big.
“I don’t think she would be playing this tournament if she was number seven in the world.
“She wants that number one ranking and rightly so.”
Four players can leave New York with the world number one ranking on September 12: Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, and Coco Gauff.
Rybakina, ranked second on the WTA Tour, will secure the world number one ranking for the first time in her career if she reaches the US Open semi-finals.
If Rybakina loses before the semi-finals, the door would open for Gauff or Pegula to take the top spot.
Gauff and Pegula need to win the US Open title to stand a chance of becoming world number one.
Sabalenka needs to win the title and have Rybakina lose before the semi-finals to maintain her world number one ranking.
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Who will Elena Rybakina play next?
Rybakina, the second seed in Flushing Meadows, is set to play Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the US Open second round.
Bouzas Maneiro defeated Darja Vidmanova 6-3, 6-4 in her opening round.
Rybakina triumphed in their only previous meeting on the Tour, defeating the Spanish player 6-2, 6-3 at the 2025 United Cup.
The result helped Kazakhstan secure a 2-1 victory over Spain in the group stage.
The winner of Rybakina and Bouzas Maneiro will play Maria Sakkari or Yuliia Starodubtseva in the third round.
Starodubtseva caused one of the shocks of the season earlier this year when she defeated Rybakina in the French Open second round: 3-6, 6-1, 7-6.
