Rybakina beats Zheng in comeback to reach US Open semis, climb to No. 1 — SkimNews
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- Elena Rybakina rallied past Zheng Qinwen 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 on Wednesday to reach her first US Open semifinal and lock up the WTA No. 1 ranking regardless of how the tournament finishes.
- The win ends Aryna Sabalenka's 99-week reign at No. 1, and Rybakina becomes the 30th woman to hold the top spot since computer rankings began in 1975.
- Zheng Qinwen, who entered at No. 121 after elbow surgery, clawed back from 5-0 deficits against Madison Keys and No. 8 Iga Swiatek before a double fault sealed her loss Wednesday; the 2024 Olympic gold medalist is guaranteed to return to the top 60.
- Rybakina will face either No. 4 Coco Gauff or No. 5 Mirra Andreeva on Thursday; Sabalenka meets No. 3 Jessica Pegula in the other semifinal — the first major since the 2013 French Open to feature all four top seeds in the final four.
- Rybakina said she struggled with sun and shadows in Arthur Ashe Stadium after starting roughly eight hours after Ben Shelton's record-latest 3:33 a.m. ET finish against defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Why it matters: Rybakina clinches No. 1 before the semis even play out, snapping Sabalenka's 99-week run and delivering Kazakhstan its first women's world No. 1. The all-top-four-seed semifinal lineup is the first at a major since the 2013 French Open, concentrating the WTA's elite into one round and raising the stakes for Thursday's matches.
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