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Elena Rybakina secured the world No. 1 ranking Wednesday after defeating Qinwen Zheng 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to advance to the US Open semifinals.
The Kazakh, seeded No. 2, overturned a set deficit against the Chinese Olympic champion to reach the last four at Flushing Meadows in New York for the first time.
Rybakina, who entered the tournament ranked No. 2 behind Aryna Sabalenka, secured enough ranking points with the victory to overtake the Belarusian and reach world No. 1 for the first time.
Zheng made a stronger start and took the opening set 6-3, handing Rybakina her first set loss of the tournament.
The 2026 Australian Open champion responded emphatically, winning the second set 6-1 before edging the third 6-4 to complete the comeback.
Rybakina had entered the quarterfinals in impressive form, winning her first four matches without dropping a set, including a 6-1, 6-4 victory against former champion Naomi Osaka in the fourth round.
For Zheng, the quarterfinal appearance capped a remarkable run at the US Open. The 23-year-old Olympic champion came through qualifying before reaching the last eight, including comeback victories against Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek.
Rybakina will face either American fourth seed Coco Gauff or fifth-seeded Russian Mirra Andreeva in the semifinals Thursday. (AA)
