Elena Rybakina became the new world number one, defeating Qinwen Zheng to reach the semi-finals of the US Open

Elena Rybakina became the new world number one in women’s tennis when she defeated Qinwen Zheng 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to reach the semi-finals of the US Open. Rybakina will officially dethrone Aryna Sabalenkova as the queen at the top of the WTA rankings as the new update takes place on Monday, September 14.

Rybakina had to contend with the hard-hitting Zheng, who entered the match after pulling off a huge upset over Iga Swiatek. The Kazakh star soon found herself battling the sun, Arthur Ashe Stadium shadows and Zheng’s powerful aces, but she found her footing in the second set.

The third was also tough for the new world number one, but she managed to secure 11 of the next 15 points at 4-4, get a valuable break point and then serve for the win. She will face either Coco Gauff or Mirra Andreeva in the next round.

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Published on:

09 Sep 2026 23:42 IST