With No. 1 Ranking Secured, Rybakina Eyes More Grand Slam Glory

Phoenix News — Elena Rybakina will rise to world number one for the first time after reaching the US Open semi-finals, but the Kazakh tennis star said her focus remains on winning a third Grand Slam title.

"It means a lot, of course," Rybakina said after rallying to beat Paris Olympics gold medalist Zheng Qinwen in three sets in the quarter-finals, a result that ensures she will supplant Aryna Sabalenka at the top of the rankings. "It's a great achievement, and I feel like you will appreciate and think about it even more when you finish your career. 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 next match will be against fourth-seeded former champion Coco Gauff.

Rybakina won her second career Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January, four years after capturing her first at Wimbledon. She acknowledged such opportunities are rare, especially after a heel injury forced her out of the WTA tournament in Cincinnati last month.

Through the first four rounds of the US Open, Rybakina has not dropped a set, posting wins over four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka and Yuliia Starodubtseva, who had beaten her in the second round at the French Open.

"Very difficult match, very stressful," Rybakina said of her quarter-final. "A lot of thoughts going through the head in the beginning but glad that I managed to find a way."