Queens, NY—-Elena Rybakina has reached another milestone in her rapidly rising career.
The Australian Open champion defeated Zheng Qinwen 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 on Wednesday at the U.S. Open, earning a place in the semifinals while simultaneously securing the No. 1 ranking in women’s tennis.
Regardless of what happens during the remainder of the tournament, Rybakina will move to the top of the WTA rankings when they are released Monday, ending Aryna Sabalenka’s 99-week run at No. 1.
For Rybakina, however, the ranking is secondary to what remains in front of her.
“It’s just a number right now and of course I’m in the semis, so my goal is to win the tournament,” Rybakina said. “It’s an amazing achievement, but you know how quick everything can change in tennis, ranking-wise, during the match.”
The 27-year-old from Kazakhstan will meet fourth-seeded Coco Gauff in Thursday’s semifinal. The other semifinal will feature Sabalenka against third-seeded Jessica Pegula.
Rybakina’s path to the final four was anything but straightforward.
She faced an unusual start to the day after the previous night’s marathon encounter between Ben Shelton and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz did not finish until 3:33 a.m., the latest ending in U.S. Open history.
Rybakina and Zheng were scheduled to take the court roughly eight hours later.
The timing appeared to affect Rybakina early. She acknowledged having difficulty adjusting to the sunlight and shadows inside Arthur Ashe Stadium after playing her previous matches later in the day.
Zheng immediately took advantage.
The Chinese star managed to break one of the strongest servers in the women’s game and opened a 5-3 advantage in the first set. Rybakina struggled to find her rhythm, allowing Zheng to dictate more points than she normally would.
But once Rybakina settled in, the match changed dramatically.
She took control of the second set, winning it in just 38 minutes and putting Zheng under relentless pressure. Rybakina’s serving and powerful baseline game began to take over, forcing Zheng to defend rather than attack.
The deciding set became a battle of nerve and execution.
Zheng had opportunities to swing the match back in her favor, but a costly double fault handed Rybakina a 5-4 advantage. Rybakina then stepped to the line and calmly served out the match, securing her first U.S. Open semifinal appearance.
“I think the wins that I had so far are great, but obviously today in the match I got a lot of chances in the third set, but I didn’t take it,” Zheng said. “That was a bit pity for me to lose this match, but obviously I could take positive things from U.S. Open this year.”
And there is plenty for Zheng to feel positive about.
The 2024 Olympic gold medalist entered the U.S. Open ranked No. 121 after elbow surgery caused her ranking to tumble. Once ranked as high as No. 4, Zheng had to fight through qualifying just to earn a spot in the main draw.
Instead of simply returning to the tournament, she produced one of the most impressive runs of the fortnight.
Zheng erased a 5-0 deficit in the third set against Madison Keys in the third round and then overcame another 5-0 hole in the opening set against eighth-seeded Iga Swiatek in the fourth round.
Her run ultimately ended against Rybakina, but the performance is expected to propel Zheng back into the Top 60.
Rybakina, meanwhile, entered New York knowing that the rankings race was within her control.
She needed to reach the semifinals to guarantee the No. 1 position. Had she lost before the final four, Sabalenka, Pegula or Gauff could have taken over the top spot by winning the championship.
Now, that uncertainty is gone.
Rybakina is the new No. 1 player in the world.
But she insists the ranking won’t change her immediate objective.
“I feel like I just need to focus on my game, try to recover and enjoy tomorrow,” she said.
The next challenge comes quickly.
Gauff awaits in the semifinals, with a place in the U.S. Open final—and perhaps another major championship—on the line.
Rybakina has already reached the top of the rankings.
Now she wants to reach the top of New York.
