"You, now in the Top 30, would you beat the tennis player who is world No. 1?": Ignacio Buse stirs up controversy saying a top 1000 player would beat Elena Rybakina

Thursday, 17 September 2026 at 23:30

Ignacio Buse has come under fire for comments saying that anyone in the top 100 or top 200 would beat the Women's World No.1 which is now Elena Rybakina.

Buse has reignited the debate over the differences between men's and women's tennis. The Peruvian is ranked 35th in the world and a champion in Winston-Salem just a few months ago was asked during a live stream about his chances against Elena Rybakina, the new World No.1.

He was asked whether he could beat the Kazakh now that he sits inside the top 30. "You, now in the Top 30, would you beat the tennis player who is world No. 1?" Buse's answer was quick and succinct: "Yes".

Buse stirs controversy

The question was then extended to the top 100 and then top 200. "You, being in the Top 100 or the Top 200, would you beat the women's world No. 1?"

Once again, the Peruvian answered without hesitation: "Yes". Buse, however, was more cautious when the possibility of a player ranked in the top 1000 was raised. "Well, careful now. Women's tennis can't be compared, it's a different sport, it's like football."

He said 'you have to respect her obviously' when asked about the idea of a hypothetical match against Rybakina. But Glenn Greenwald, a journalist hit back at the criticism.

"He didn't bring it up. A couple of idiot interviewers did, and he just answered earnestly in exactly the way that every ATP and WTA player would if they were being honest (Serena herself has said the ATP 1000 ranked player would easily beat her).

He didn't bring it up. A couple of idiot interviewers did, and he just answered earnestly in exactly the way that every ATP and WTA player would if they were being honest (Serena herself has said the ATP 1000 ranked player would easily beat her).

The worst criticism one can make…
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) September 16, 2026

"The worst criticism one can make of Buse is that he should found a way not to answer. But he's 22 with little media experience. Not even remotely his fault or a reflection on his character."

This gave flack though from other people. “I’m so tired of these ***holes who think they have the right to denigrate female athletes, starting with Ignacio Buse who plays along with those other two idiots, falling for a question that clearly came loaded with misogynistic undertones."

“The second thing is that because of comments like that, a bunch of little macho dudes come out of the woodwork to take advantage and make sexist remarks and disrespect high-level athletes who you sure as hell aren’t gonna beat – yeah, Nacho, you’re not gonna beat Rybakina.”

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Another wrote on X. “It must be the stupidest attempt at stirring up controversy that they’ve tried to generate.”

Some said Buse was jealous that Rybakina just took home $5.5million for winning US Open and the debate just rolls on from there.

Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief

Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.

Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.

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