Elena Rybakina secures No. 1 ranking, eyes more Grand Slam glory

Elena Rybakina, of Kazakhstan, celebrates winning a match against Qinwen Zheng, of China, during the quarterfinal round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

NEW YORK–Elena Rybakina will rise to number one in the world rankings for the first time after reaching the US Open semi-finals, but for the Kazakh star the chance at a third Grand Slam title remains her most pressing concern.

“It means a lot, of course,” Rybakina said after rallying to beat Paris Olympics gold medallst Zheng Qinwen in three sets in the quarter-finals to ensure she’ll supplant Aryna Sabalenka at the summit.

“It’s a great achievement, and I feel like you will appreciate and think about it even more when you finish your career,” Rybakina said.

“Now, you still need to keep on going. I want to win the titles still in the tournaments, so all my thoughts are just for the next match.”

That will be against fourth-seeded former champion Coco Gauff.

Rybakina knows that such opportunities can be few and far between. She won her second career Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January, four years after capturing her first at Wimbledon.

She’s especially grateful to have put herself so close to another major after a heel injury forced her out of the WTA tournament in Cincinnati last month.

Unable to walk without pain for several days, she’s had to cautiously manage her training, rest and treatment.

“It was not ideal, and I was stressed, of course,” Rybakina said as the tournament got underway, but she progressed through the first four rounds without dropping a set.

Now she’s two wins away from her third major title, posting impressive wins along the way over four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka and Yuliia Starodubtseva — who beat her in the second round at the French Open.

Even her slow start against Zheng had its encouraging side. Rybakina, who had been 0-6 in prior US Open matches in which she dropped the first set, was pleased she was able to shake off distractions and discomfort with the awkwardly shaded court and mount a comeback.

“Very difficult match, very stressful,” she said. “A lot of thoughts going through the head in the beginning but glad that I managed to find a way.”