Elena Rybakina secured the world No. 1 ranking by reaching the US Open semifinals on September 9. According to VnExpress, the change will become official when the WTA rankings are published on September 14, with the Kazakh player replacing Aryna Sabalenka at the top.
Rybakina will be the first player representing Kazakhstan, male or female, to reach No. 1, and the 30th woman to lead the WTA rankings. The milestone followed a 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory over Zheng Qinwen that lasted two hours and 14 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The decisive passage came late in the third set. Rybakina survived pressure while trailing 3-4, broke Zheng at 4-4 and then held serve to complete the comeback. Earlier, she had responded to losing the opening set by improving her baseline play and taking the second 6-1.
Reaching the semifinals also kept her title hopes alive in New York. In comments reported by VnExpress, Rybakina welcomed the ranking achievement while keeping her attention on the tournament. Becoming No. 1 was assured, but the contest for the US Open trophy remained unfinished.