Elena Rybakina Advances to US Open Semifinals and Becomes World Number One
Elena Rybakina walked into Arthur Ashe Stadium chasing a semi-final spot. She walked out as the soon-to-be world number one.
The 27-year-old Kazakh fought back from a set down to beat Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in a bruising US Open quarter-final that lasted two hours and 14 minutes, and with it guaranteed she will replace Aryna Sabalenka at the top of the rankings next week.
“It’s just a number right now,” Rybakina said on court, almost brushing aside the milestone. She had other priorities in the moment. “Of course I’m in the semis. It’s an amazing achievement, but during the match I feel like I just need to focus on my game.”
On Thursday, that focus will be tested again. Rybakina now awaits the winner of the clash between Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva, a meeting that will decide who stands between her and a place in the US Open final.
From flat start to ruthless response
For a player on the brink of history, Rybakina began tentatively. Zheng, ranked 121 after a long layoff following elbow surgery, played like someone who had already survived qualifying and seven matches in New York. Sharp, fearless, loose.
Zheng earned the first break chances in the eighth game of the opening set and pounced, moving ahead 5-3 when Rybakina pushed a forehand into the net. The ninth game turned into a mini-epic: 14 minutes, five break points saved by Zheng, an ace, a backhand winner down the line, a service winner, and a string of Rybakina backhand returns that flew off target.
On her fourth set point, Zheng finally closed it out as Rybakina sent a forehand return long. The Olympic champion had the lead and the momentum. The second seed, who had been 0-6 at the US Open after losing the first set in previous years, stared at another bad statistic.
“It was very tough. I didn’t start my best,” Rybakina admitted. “I was struggling a little bit. We got into long rallies and I made mistakes. I was trying to be more aggressive because I feel like I wasn’t pushing enough.”
The change came quickly.
Rybakina opened the second set with back-to-back aces. The serve, which had deserted her in patches in the first set, suddenly locked in. She held for 1-0, then broke Zheng with a forehand winner for 2-0. When Zheng pushed back, Rybakina answered, saving a break point with another forehand winner on the way to 4-1.
The pressure finally told. Rybakina broke again with a forehand winner for 5-1, then held to force a deciding set. The match had flipped; the world number one ranking now felt like it was looming over the court.
A mental battle in the sun
This was a different assignment for Rybakina. All her previous matches in New York this fortnight had been played at night. On Wednesday, the shadows cut across Arthur Ashe, the light shifting, the conditions awkward.
“It has been an early match. In my head I was complaining about the shadow,” she said. “I’m glad I pushed all the negative thoughts away. I just kept telling myself: ‘Keep fighting’.”
The third set became a test of nerve as much as shot-making.
Zheng, who had already secured a return to the top 60 by reaching this stage, refused to fade. She saved a break point in the fifth game. Rybakina faced one of her own at 3-4, 30-40, but held firm in the eighth game to level at 4-4.
Then came the crack.
Serving at 4-4, Zheng blinked. A double fault handed Rybakina the decisive break. The Kazakh stepped to the line at 5-4 and finished the job, sealing a victory that not only put her into the semi-finals but also crowned her as the first Kazakh player ever to reach world number one – and the 30th woman to hold the top spot.
“It’s something for which you’re going to be very proud when you finish at the end of the year,” she said. “No matter how long you’re going to stay it’s an achievement and I feel very proud.”
Zheng’s run ends, but statement made
For Zheng, this was a harsh end to a stirring campaign. The reigning Olympic champion had battled through qualifying, strung together seven wins, and rediscovered her level after nearly eight months out following elbow surgery.
“I got a lot of chances in the third set, but I didn’t take them,” she said. “That was a bit pity for me to lose this match, but obviously I can take positive things from the US Open this year.”
She pinpointed the margins that separated them.
“Maybe when she serve second serve, I could be more aggressive sometimes and make a bit less mistake in the return,” Zheng reflected. “Today is just few points makes the difference.”
Rybakina’s win extended her dominance in this head-to-head to 5-1, with three victories over Zheng this year alone. Any concerns about the foot injury that had disrupted her US Open preparation were nowhere to be seen.
A new number one with unfinished business
Rybakina already owns two Grand Slam titles – Wimbledon 2022 and the Australian Open earlier this year – yet this US Open run carries a different weight. She arrived in New York as one of four women with a shot at leaving as world number one. Her victory slammed that door shut on Sabalenka, Gauff and Jessica Pegula, who will meet Sabalenka in the other semi-final.
The ranking is secured. The history is written. But the job in New York is not done.
Rybakina has broken her 0-6 curse after losing the first set at this tournament. She has handled the shadows, the early start, the pressure of a ranking chase. Now she stands two wins away from a third major title and a first in Flushing Meadows.
World number one is coming next week. The real question is whether she will arrive there as US Open champion as well.
