Rybakina Number 1: Sabalenka's 99-Week Reign Ends

Elena Rybakina beat Zheng Qinwen 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in the US Open quarter-finals and will become the new WTA world No. 1 on Monday. The Kazakh, the No. 2 seed in New York, only needed to reach the semi-final to overtake Aryna Sabalenka, and she got there by coming back from a set down against a qualifier ranked No. 121 in the world.

Sabalenka leaves the top spot after 99 consecutive weeks, since 21 October 2024, the sixth-longest streak in WTA ranking history. Rybakina becomes the thirtieth player to reach No. 1 since the ranking began in 1975, and the first from Kazakhstan.

The 121 next to her name says little: Zheng has been world No. 4 and is the reigning Olympic champion, and she slid down there because of the injury that kept her out for months. She had reached the quarter-finals by eliminating Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-3 in the fourth round, after falling behind 0-5 in the first set. She held the same pace against Rybakina for an hour. Then the Kazakh raised her level: two breaks in the second set, just one game conceded, and the decisive break in the third.

Before this year, Rybakina had never gone past the fourth round at Flushing Meadows. She arrived in New York defending 240 points, Sabalenka defending the 2000 from the title she won in 2025, and the overtake was decided mainly there. She built the rest of the gap in January, beating that same Sabalenka in the Melbourne final 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 for her second career Slam after Wimbledon 2022.