Elena Rybakina Storms to World No. 1, Sets Up US Open Semifinal Showdown With Coco Gauff
The Kazakh star becomes the 30th woman in history to top the WTA rankings, then watches Gauff erase a two-set hole and save two match points to book Thursday's blockbuster semifinal.
Elena Rybakina is the new world No. 1 in women's tennis, and she'll open her reign with a US Open semifinal against Coco Gauff after both stars advanced in dramatic fashion on Wednesday.
Rybakina secured the top ranking with a 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory over Qinwen Zheng, becoming the first player from Kazakhstan — and the 30th woman in tennis history — to reach world No. 1, according to France 24. She takes over the top spot after nearly two years atop the rankings for Aryna Sabalenka.
Gauff's Escape Act
Gauff had to survive a far tighter scare to reach the semifinal. The American dropped the first set 2-6 to 19-year-old French Open champion Mirra Andreeva, then clawed back to force a second-set tiebreak, saving two match points along the way before winning it 7-6(9/7) and closing out the match 6-2 in the third, per The Washington Times.
GAUFF SAVED TWO MATCH POINTS TO REACH THE SEMIFINALS.
The comeback extends what has been a resilient run for Gauff at Flushing Meadows, where she has repeatedly found a way through five- and three-set battles rather than dominant straight-set wins. It sets up a semifinal rematch of styles: Rybakina's flat, first-strike power against Gauff's speed and increasingly aggressive baseline game, according to Yahoo Sports.
Why the Ranking Matters
Rybakina's rise to No. 1 caps a season in which she has been one of the tour's most consistent performers on hard courts, even as she has occasionally been overshadowed by Sabalenka's and Iga Swiatek's Grand Slam hauls. Reaching No. 1 without a Slam title this season underscores how deep and unpredictable the current WTA field has become — a point reinforced just a day earlier when Swiatek herself was upset by a qualifier elsewhere in the draw.
What's Next
Rybakina and Gauff meet in Thursday's semifinal for a spot in the US Open final, with the winner entering the championship match as the tournament's newly minted top-ranked player or its most battle-tested survivor. Either way, the women's draw has delivered one of its most unpredictable fortnights in recent memory.