Rybakina makes history as Kazakhstan's first world No. 1

Elena Rybakina's rise to the top of the women's world rankings marks a historic moment for Kazakh tennis and reflects the sport's continued development in the country, Kazakhstan Tennis Federation President Bulat Utemuratov said.

Rybakina secured the world No. 1 ranking for the first time after coming from behind to beat China's Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in the US Open quarterfinals on Wednesday.

Elena Rybakina hits a return during the women's singles quarterfinal between Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan and Zheng Qinwen of China at the 2026 US Open tennis championships in New York, the United States, Sept. 9, 2026. (Xinhua/Li Rui)

The 27-year-old, seeded second in New York, will become the 30th woman to hold the No. 1 ranking when the updated WTA rankings are released Monday, ending Aryna Sabalenka's 99-week run at the top.

"This is a tremendous victory for Elena and a historic day for Kazakhstani tennis," Utemuratov told Xinhua.

"By reaching the semifinals of the US Open and officially securing the world number 1 ranking, she has shown a true sign of continuous growth and quality."

Russian-born Rybakina, who switched federations to represent Kazakhstan in 2018, had never previously reached the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows, but entered Wednesday's match without dropping a set in her opening four rounds.

She was forced to dig deeper against Zheng. After losing the opening set, Rybakina dominated the second before recovering from a precarious position in the decider. Facing a break point at 3-4 that would have left Zheng serving for the match, Rybakina held serve before winning the final three games to close out the contest in two hours and 14 minutes.

The run comes after Rybakina suffered a leg injury at last month's WTA 1000 event in Cincinnati that forced her to withdraw before her quarterfinal. She said before the US Open that the problem had initially made it painful even to walk and kept her off the practice court for a week.

"Coming into New York after a recent injury setback, her resilience and mental fortitude have been remarkable," Utemuratov said.

The achievement caps a resurgence for Rybakina, who won the 2025 WTA Finals before claiming her second Grand Slam title at this year's Australian Open, four years after her breakthrough triumph at Wimbledon.

She has also won the Stuttgart Open this season and arrived in New York ranked second in the world.

Utemuratov said Rybakina's success could have a wider impact on the development of tennis in Kazakhstan.

"She continues to perfectly represent the successful development of tennis in our country, and her ascent to the very top of world tennis will deeply inspire the younger generation of Kazakhstani players, whom we will continue to support in any way we can," he said.

Rybakina will face American fourth seed Coco Gauff in the semifinals after the 2023 US Open champion saved two match points to beat Mirra Andreeva 2-6, 7-6 (7), 6-2.

The other semifinal pits Sabalenka against third seed Jessica Pegula, meaning the top four seeds have all reached the last four of the women's singles at a Grand Slam for the first time since Wimbledon in 2009.