Elena Rybakina just took her ticket to the semi-finals after defeating Qinwen Zheng at the US Open. To make her victory even sweeter, she finally clinched the world No. 1 ranking, replacing Aryna Sabalenka, who just happened to be at practice on court P1, next to Arthur Ashe Stadium.
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The celebration was so thunderous that the crowd’s roaring reached Sabalenka. In that moment, the camera caught her reaction perfectly as she leaned on the fence and watched the courtside TVs, knowing that the 27-year-old Kazakhstani player had taken her No. 1 spot away from her.
The Belarusian player looked somewhat dejected and even amused at the sight of it. After all, this ends Sabalenka’s 99-week reign as the highest-ranked player in women’s singles. It was as if one of her highest achievements just disappeared right in front of her eyes.
This also makes Elena Rybakina the 30th woman to reach the No. 1 ranking in WTA history.
“Well, it’s just a number right now,” Rybakina said in an on-court interview, “and of course, I’m in the semis, so my goal is to win the tournaments which I play, and I just go match at a time, and it’s a amazing achievement.”
Despite winning the match and attaining the top spot, Rybakina appeared modest in the face of glory. For her, the ranking is perhaps the second most important concern. “But you know how quick everything can change in tennis, ranking-wise, during the match. So, I feel like I just need to focus on my game, try to recover, and enjoy tomorrow.” She further added, highlighting her goal-directed process in this tense tournament.
As of the time of writing, Mirra Andreeva and Coco Gauff are battling it out to play against Rybakina in the US Open semi-finals tomorrow, September 10. On the other hand, Sabalenka appears to be fiercely practicing for her match against Jessica Pegula. If she wins, she’d be one step closer to winning a third consecutive US Open title.
However, there is a strong contender in Elena Rybakina too, who appeared calm under pressure during her quarterfinal against Qinwen Zheng.
Zheng took the first set with ease, winning 6-3. The second set is where Rybakina turned the tables. 58% of her first-serve attempts found success against Zheng, who could only manage 38%. Ultimately, the 27-year-old icon cruised to a 6-1 win.
The third and deciding set was an intense back-and-forth for both players. However, as pressure mounted, Rybakina remained calm, taking the lead in the ninth game. This set her up for a near-perfect 10th-game serve. It was then that Zheng finally lost her quarterfinal match and her chance to reach the top.
This is truly Elena Rybakina’s most successful US Open campaign to date. It could also turn into her very first victory in the New York-based Grand Slam.