Elena Rybakina moved closer to No. 1, beating Naomi Osaka to reach the quarterfinals of the US Open

Elena Rybakina took another confident step towards a potential third Grand Slam title on Monday with a 6-1, 6-4 win over former US Open champion Naomi Osaka to book her place in the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows.

A dominant win sets up a last eight meeting with Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen and leaves Rybakina just one win away from becoming world number one for the first time in her career. Zheng defeated Igo Swiatek earlier in the day.

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The second seed got off to a flying start, wrapping up the opening set in just 22 minutes. Despite Osaka enjoying strong support from the crowd, Rybakina remained firmly in control with an impressive submission. The Kazakhstani kept finding her spots and keeping the ball out of Osaka’s reach, converting two of her three break chances and ending the set with an ace as she raced into the lead.

The two-time winner of the US Open Osaka thus came under enormous pressure at the Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Osaka, seeded 13th, showed more determination early in the second set. She was able to hold her serve before Rybakina finally found a break in the seventh game to move ahead.

However, Rybakina soon regained control. Osaka appeared to be in trouble at 2-2 as she clutched her left leg, with an Achilles problem that appeared during her third-round bout appearing to cause further discomfort. The 28-year-old managed to save the break and continued to fight.

Rybakina, however, kept Osaka under constant pressure with her powerful and deep stroke from the baseline. The breakthrough finally came in the seventh game, when Osaka sent a forehand into the net and gave her opponent a decisive break.

The Kazakh star then served out the match comfortably, completing the victory in just 66 minutes and moving one step closer to two more Grand Slam crowns.

Two-time US Open champion Osaka has spent the last few years working her way back to her best form and her rebirth, including a semi-final appearance at last year’s tournament. This time, however, her campaign ended in the fourth round after being handed a tough draw that pitted her against Rybakin earlier than she would have hoped.

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Published on:

08 Sep 2026 03:15 IST