After the US Open, Elena Rybakina will officially become the new WTA No. 1, dethroning Aryna Sabalenka after nearly two years at the top. Rybakina’s condition for taking over the top position was to reach the semifinals in New York, and she successfully secured her place in the final four on Wednesday, defeating Zheng Qinwen 3-6 6-1 6-4.
Zheng won a monumental seven-deuce game to claim the opening set 6-3, but Rybakina stormed back in the second, leveling the match with a dominant 6-1. The third set was a tense affair. Rybakina saved a break point to level at 4-4 and then put immediate pressure on Zheng’s serve, racing to 40-0. Zheng, however, saved all three break points to force a deuce, but Rybakina finally got the breakthrough and closed out the match 6-4.
You gotta love Rybakina’s celebrations! A shy smile and, as always, and an understated reaction to a huge achievement. She calmly accepted her victory, knowing that she had reached her first-ever US Open semifinal and secured the WTA No. 1 ranking for the first time in her career.
In her on-court interview, Rybakina admitted to feeling a lot of nerves, particularly at the start of the match. The Kazakhstani said she was glad she managed to push through them, describing an internal battle in which she had to fight off the negative thoughts.
Her reaction to the historic achievement was iconic: “It’s just a number,” she said of the No. 1 ranking, making it clear that her real goal is to win the tournament. If she lifts the trophy in New York, Rybakina will claim her third Grand Slam title, following Wimbledon in 2022 and the Australian Open in 2026.
On Monday, after the US Open, Rybakina will officially top the WTA rankings, replacing Sabalenka, who first reached No. 1 on September 11, 2023, and returned to the top spot on October 21, 2024. The Belarusian’s 99-week uninterrupted reign ranks as the sixth-longest in WTA history, while her 107 weeks overall are the 10th-most all time.
Recently, commenting on the possibility of losing the top spot, two-time defending US Open champion Sabalenka was unfazed: “I would be more than happy to lose the No. 1 ranking and win the US Open and get three titles in a row. That sounds great.”
