{
  "id": 4982917,
  "title": "Rybakina cruises into US Open second round despite heel concerns",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/02/rybakina-cruises-into-us-open-second-round-despite-heel-concerns",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-02T01:11:09.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Malay Mail",
    "slug": "malay-mail-malaymail",
    "url": "https://www.malaymail.com/news/sports/2026/09/02/rybakina-cruises-into-us-open-second-round-despite-heel-concerns/233591"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "New York, September 2 — Elena Rybakina has advanced to the second round of the US Open, despite concerns over her left heel injury, after defeating US teen Thea Frodin in straight sets. The second-ranked Kazakh has set her sights on a third Grand Slam title and potentially an unprecedented world number one ranking, which would come with a semi-final appearance at Flushing Meadows. Rybakina's 6-3, 6-2 victory over Frodin was a well-executed performance, and an uplifting one following the injury that led to her exit from the Cincinnati Open quarter-finals. \"I'm pleased with the match. Especially when you don't know your opponent, it can be quite dangerous, but overall, I'm happy with the first match and how it went,\" she stated. \"It's a great result after 10 days from that kind of injury.\" Rybakina was reassured in Cincinnati by her physio, who confirmed she hadn't torn her Achilles tendon. However, she experienced discomfort when walking for several days and continues to carefully manage her training, rest, and treatment. \"When I went to serve, I realized I couldn't push from the leg, making it impossible to continue,\" she explained. \"From that, we started her recovery, and we didn't know if she'd be able to play here or not.\" They took the recovery day by day, with Rybakina not competing for the full week, only engaging in limited gym work. She now feels fine after the match, though she acknowledges the need to closely monitor her condition day by day as this is her first match and involves considerable movement.",
  "summary": "NEW YORK, Sept 2 — Elena Rybakina said it was so far, so good with her left heel injury after she eased into the s...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 8,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Buenos Aires Herald",
        "title": "US Open 2026: Trungelliti and Podoroska into the second round",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/01/us-open-2026-trungelliti-and-podoroska-into-the-second-round",
        "published": "2026-09-01T16:52:59.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Channel News Asia",
        "title": "Andreeva dismantles Tjen, eases into US Open second round",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/01/andreeva-dismantles-tjen-eases-into-us-open-second-round",
        "published": "2026-09-01T21:41:01.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Sydney Morning Herald",
        "title": "‘Rooting for the Aussie boys’: Mates ride US Open wave into second round",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/02/rooting-for-the-aussie-boys-mates-ride-us-open-wave-into-second-round",
        "published": "2026-09-02T01:19:27.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Age",
        "title": "‘Rooting for the Aussie boys’: Mates ride US Open wave into second round",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/02/rooting-for-the-aussie-boys-mates-ride-us-open-wave-into-second-round-4984152",
        "published": "2026-09-02T01:19:27.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Andreeva dismantles Tjen, eases into US Open 2nd round",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/02/andreeva-dismantles-tjen-eases-into-us-open-2nd-round",
        "published": "2026-09-02T01:28:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "Confident Gauff reaches US Open 2nd round with straight-set win",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/02/confident-gauff-reaches-us-open-2nd-round-with-straight-set-win",
        "published": "2026-09-02T01:34:19.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Gauff launches bid for second US Open title with win over Sonmez",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/02/gauff-launches-bid-for-second-us-open-title-with-win-over-sonmez",
        "published": "2026-09-02T02:48:38.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}