(September 9, 2026) FLUSHING MEADOWS, NY- No. 2 Elena Rybakina will become the new No. 1 player on the WTA Tour as of Monday by virtue of reaching her first semifinal at the US Open on Wednesday, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4. She defeated Olympic gold medalist Qinwen Zheng, coming into the tournament through the qualifying draw.
“Very difficult match,” said the new No. 1. “Very stressful. Didn’t start my best and found a way in the end. Super happy.
“Yeah, a lot of thoughts was going through the head in the beginning, but glad that I managed to find a way.”
Zheng, ranked at 121 before the tournament, came into the main draw through the qualifying after being off the tour for a time due to elbow surgeries.
Zheng dug out of 0-30 and saved three break points to hold serve to close the first set 6-3.
Rybakina, 27, from Kazakhstan, reversed course and broke Zheng’s serve twice to dominate the second set 6-1.
Zheng had a break point at 5-3 in the third set, but Rybakina held firm to hold serve. Rybakina broke the Chinese woman’s serve in the next game and served out the match to win 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.
Photo by Mike Lawrence/USTA
Asked about what she could have done to win, Zheng said to the media: “Well, obviously I think that passing shot I miss make some difference, and of course I think maybe when she serve second serve, I could be more aggressive sometimes and make a bit less mistake in the return, because when the rally gets long, I think is where I get more points.
“I mean, today is just few points makes the different. That’s it. I have nothing to say.”
Despite the loss, Zheng looked towards the positive, she came all the way from the qualifying tournament to the quarterfinals: “I think the good thing is I know how to compete better than before than the beginning of the year. In the beginning of the year, I was a bit totally out of tournament, like, rhythm, and obviously this tournament helps me to find myself little by little.
“In the match just today I think there is lot to learn when I lost, because there are some decisions in important moment I wasn’t doing right. It was also very physical match for me. She got a great serve, and I think I have to be really focused to return every single time.
“In general, I could take some positive things, and the rest I could go back and to do what I can do better.”
“I think tennis also gives me a lesson all the time that as soon as the match is not over, you just have to keep fighting, because you never know what can happen one tennis game.
“Second things is I think there are so much more I still have on myself to improve. That’s the positive things.”
The new No. 1 on her top spot in the rankings: “Well, it means a lot, of course, but as I was saying before, I don’t think about it so much. It’s a great achievement, and I feel like you will appreciate and think about it even more when you finish your career.
“Like now, you still need to keep on going, and it’s nice whenever you’re done to say, Okay, I won these tournaments, I’ve been No. 1, it’s amazing, but right now it’s great. You never know how long you’re going to stay. It’s still many things. I want to win the titles still in the tournaments, so all my thoughts are just for the next match.”
“It’s a different achievement, and I feel like you’re going for the titles more, and then ranking, it might follow up, maybe not,” She added.
“But mostly you think about the titles in the end of the day, and I’m glad I have two right now. I try my best to win here. If not, of course I will have other chances.
“But it will be nice to say, Okay, I’ve won, I don’t know, three out of four if it’s going to be this time here. If not, I feel like every time, all the results, all the achievements, you really appreciate and you can reflect only a little bit later, not in the moment when everything is happening.”
“It’s history, and I’m very proud representing Kazakhstan.”
Rybakina will play No. 4 Coco Gauff.
“If I play Coco, of course I will expect that a lot of people going to support her. It’s normal,” Rybakina said during her media conference.
“We practiced many times. We played recently also, so we know each other.
“Again, I just need to stay aggressive. Try not my emotions not let me play, and yeah, just enjoy. I think from where I was coming to this tournament, being injured and not practicing, I think we came pretty far.
“Now we just last pushes and important to still enjoy. Yeah, hopefully it’s going to go my way.”
