By The Epoch Times | Created at 2026-09-10 22:06:38 | Updated at 2026-10-04 20:16:48
3 weeks ago
Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan looks on against Naomi Osaka of Japan during their Women's Singles Fourth Round match on Day 9 of the 2026 US Open in the Queens borough of New York City on Sept. 7, 2026. Patrick Smith/Getty Images
Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina became the new world No. 1 on Sept. 9, after defeating China’s Qinwen Zheng in the US Open quarterfinals.
Rybakina became the first from her country to accomplish the feat, according to the WTA, after the 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 match that lasted two hours and 14 minutes.
“I’m very proud representing Kazakhstan,” she said after the match. “It’s just amazing how many young people [look] up to [me] and it just proves that everything is possible if you believe [and] if [you] work hard.”
Rybakina said she was bothered by the early start time of the match and faced issues such as the sun and shadows, but was able to turn the match around in the second set by being more aggressive in crucial moments.
With the win, the 27-year-old is guaranteed to surpass Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus—who spent 99 consecutive weeks in the world No. 1 spot—regardless of how Sabalenka finishes the tournament. After the match, Rybakina downplayed the personal achievement.
“It means a lot of course, but … I don’t think about it so much,” she said. “I want to win the title still … so all my thoughts are just for the next match.”
The two-time grand slam winner beat Sabalenka in the WTA Finals last year and kicked off her best season by coming back from 0-3 in the deciding set at the Australian Open Final against Sabalenka. In all, Rybakina has made six finals and won four titles in the past 12 months.
On Friday, she will play American Coco Gauff, whom she beat in a three-setter last month in the Canadian Open semifinals.
In the final, Rybakina could possibly play first-seeded Sabalenka, who is the two-time defending champion and has a semifinals matchup against Jessica Pegula.
This is the furthest Rybakina has ever been at the US Open, her worst Grand Slam statistically.
For Zheng, the tournament was still a strong sign after having trouble finding her game since returning from injury.
After a first-round exit at 2025 Wimbledon, the gold-medalist underwent surgery for a nagging elbow issue that caused her to miss the next two Grand Slams. Once ranked world No. 4, Zheng had fallen out of the top 100.
She had also previously not made it past the first round of a Slam since returning to the tour and entered the US Open as a qualifier.
The 23-year-old came back from down 5-0 to win sets in back-to-back victories against Iga Swiatek and Madison Keys before running into Rybakina.
“I had … a lot of chance[s] in the third set but didn’t [take] it,” Zheng said after the quarterfinal. “That was a big pity for me to [lose] this match but obviously I could take positive things from the US Open this year.”
