Elena Rybakina was one bad set away from watching two major goals slip out of her hands at the US Open, with a maiden semifinal in New York and the World No. 1 ranking both there for the taking. But after Zheng Qinwen took the opening set 6-3, Rybakina looked rattled and short of answers, before an animated exchange with coach Stefano Vukov became the flashpoint that helped turn the match around.
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“I was quite negative and didn’t start the first set well. So I would say that I came and was just letting the emotions out a bit, telling him everything that was on my mind. He just kept me focused and tried to tell me to remember what we talked about before the match and what I should do,” Rybakina said in her press conference.
The tension with Vukov was visible after the opening set.
Naomi Cavaday noted that Rybakina was clearly unhappy with the tactical instructions coming from her box and appeared to be telling him, “It’s not working.” Vukov, meanwhile, was heard stressing, “You’re allowing her to open up the angle,” as he urged Rybakina to stop sitting so far behind the baseline. The exchange was heated enough for Tim Henman to say, “It sounded more like an argument, didn’t it, rather than a discussion,” underlining just how frustrated Rybakina was before the match began to swing back in her favor.
Rybakina’s problems were clear in the opening set. She managed just five winners against nine unforced errors and landed only 43 percent of her first serves, allowing Zheng to earn the decisive break in the eighth game. Rybakina also failed to convert any of her five break-point opportunities, but after the animated exchange with Vukov, her approach changed noticeably.
“I just feel like, in the first set, there were a few moments when I was passive and didn’t have enough energy. In the second set, I stepped in and played a little bit more aggressively in the important moments.”
That aggression showed immediately. Rybakina moved closer to the baseline, found more consistency on serve and began taking control of the rallies, raising her first-serve percentage to 59 percent and winning 79 percent of those points as she broke Zheng twice to take the second set 6-1.
That turnaround carried extra weight because of Rybakina’s complicated history with Vukov. The pair have worked together since 2019 and built one of the most successful, yet controversial, partnerships on the WTA Tour, with Vukov alongside her for the biggest titles of her career, including both of her Grand Slam triumphs.
Their relationship went through a turbulent stretch from 2024 into 2025. Rybakina split with Vukov around the 2024 US Open, before he was later suspended by the WTA over his conduct. They eventually reunited, and by the Australian Open, Rybakina was making it clear how much she still valued having someone in her corner who understood her game so well.
“I think it’s a big help because he knows me the best,” Rybakina admitted after her Australian Open semifinal win. “With his advice on the court during the matches, it definitely makes a difference.”
That influence paid off in Melbourne, where Rybakina went on to beat Aryna Sabalenka for the title. And in New York, the pattern repeated itself. After initially pushing back against Vukov’s instructions, Rybakina adjusted, took control of the match, and completed the comeback against Zheng, with the victory also securing the World No. 1 ranking.
Elena Rybakina Gets the World No.1 Ranking After Emotional Conversation With Coach
With the match level at one set apiece, Rybakina still had to finish the job against a Zheng who had already shown throughout the tournament that she could drag herself back into matches. The deciding set stayed tight, with Rybakina missing a break-point opportunity in the fifth game before facing one herself while serving at 3-4.
She escaped that danger and closed out the game with a backhand winner to make it 4-4. That proved to be the opening she needed. Rybakina broke Zheng in the very next game and then served out the match 6-4, completing the comeback after looking completely out of sorts in the opening set.
The victory did more than send Rybakina into her first US Open semifinal. It also guaranteed her the World No. 1 ranking for the first time, regardless of what happens during the remainder of the tournament.
With that milestone secured, however, Rybakina still has another target in New York. The Australian Open champion is now chasing a second Major title of the season as she prepares to face Coco Gauff in a blockbuster semifinal.