Elena Rybakina has secured the world number one ranking following her hard-fought victory over China’s Zheng Qinwen at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday. Despite a challenging start, Rybakina overcame early errors to dismantle Zheng’s defenses, ultimately winning 3-6, 6-1, 6-4. Reflecting on the milestone, Rybakina admitted, “It’s tough to find words. It wasn’t maybe the highest level but I’m glad I pushed through.” She is officially set to displace Aryna Sabalenka at the top of the rankings this coming Monday.
The women’s draw has reached a historic milestone, as the top four seeds—Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, and Coco Gauff—have all qualified for the semi-finals. This marks the first time since Wimbledon 2009 that the four highest-seeded players have reached the final four of a Grand Slam tournament.
Coco Gauff will face the new world number one in the next round after staging a dramatic comeback against Russian fifth seed Mirra Andreeva. After a difficult opening, Gauff secured a 2-6, 7-6(7), 6-2 victory, saving two match points during the tiebreak. Drawing motivation from Frances Tiafoe’s previous comeback, Gauff noted, “Elena – she’s the new world number one so it’s going to be a tough match. I’m looking forward to the battle. These are the moments you live for.”
In the men’s draw, Alexander Zverev delivered a dominant performance, defeating Botic van de Zandschulp 6-2, 7-5, 6-1. The German top seed is now scheduled to play Karen Khachanov, who advanced after his opponent, Alexander Blockx, retired from their match while trailing 6-2, 7-5, 3-2. These results follow the previous day’s action at Flushing Meadows, where Ben Shelton eliminated defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in a late-night thriller. The report also notes that while 2023 champion Coco Gauff recovered from a slow start to set up a semi, elena Rybakina ensured she will leave the US Open as the new world number one following her victory over China’s Zheng Qinwen on Wednesday.
