Elena Rybakina to become world number one after US Open win

Elena Rybakina will become the new women's world number one on Monday. The 27-year-old secured the top ranking by defeating China's Zheng Qinwen 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in the US Open quarter-finals, ending Aryna Sabalenka's 99-week reign.

Rybakina is the first Kazakhstani player, man or woman, to reach the summit of the singles rankings. She arrived in New York as one of three players, alongside Americans Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff, who could have dethroned Sabalenka. However, the other contenders each needed to win the title and hope Rybakina lost before the semi-finals.

Sabalenka's streak, which began on 21 October 2024, is the sixth-longest in WTA history. The top two could still meet in the US Open final, a rematch of this year's Australian Open where Rybakina won in three sets. For Rybakina, the trophy matters more than the ranking. "It's just a number right now. My goal is to win the tournaments which I play," she said. "It's an amazing achievement, but you know how quickly everything can change in tennis ranking-wise."

She will face either Coco Gauff in Thursday's semi-finals, while Sabalenka takes on Jessica Pegula.

Rybakina's path to the top

Rybakina's push for number one began in late 2025. After a quarter-final loss to Sabalenka in Wuhan, she won the Ningbo Open and then beat Sabalenka to claim the season-ending WTA Finals. She carried that form into 2026, defeating Sabalenka again in a major final to win the Australian Open, her second Grand Slam title.

Since Melbourne, Sabalenka won their finals in Indian Wells and Miami, but Rybakina took the Stuttgart title on clay. Early exits at the French Open and Wimbledon followed, before a runner-up finish in Toronto. Her bid suffered a setback last month when she retired injured from her Cincinnati Open quarter-final against Iga Swiatek.

Rybakina revealed the left ankle issue had been "bothering me for a long period of time" but felt it was "under control". Before the US Open, she admitted her preparation "wasn't great" due to limited training. It has not stopped her from achieving her first major goal in New York.

Consistency and a dominant serve

Rybakina's rise has coincided with a period of remarkable consistency. Despite managing her ankle injury, she has played 60 matches in 2026, winning 47 of them. Only world number three Jessica Pegula, with 50 wins, has a better tally on the WTA Tour this season. Pegula is also the only player who can match Rybakina's 34 wins on hard courts.

Rybakina has a strong record against the tour's elite, winning 13 of her 20 meetings with fellow top-20 players this year. Her most potent weapon is her serve. She leads the WTA in aces for 2026, with a total of 394.

Her serve was devastating in a fourth-round win over Naomi Osaka. Rybakina won 87% of her first-serve points, hit seven aces among 29 winners, and limited unforced errors to 17. After the match, Osaka said, "The immediate thought that I had in my head when she hit the ace, I was, like, 'well, I can't really do anything about it'."

The coaching partnership

Rybakina has worked with coach Stefano Vukov for almost seven years. The pair first worked together from 2019 to 2025 before splitting. Later in 2025, Vukov was banned from the WTA Tour for breaching its code of conduct following an independent investigation into his behaviour towards Rybakina. Vukov denied any wrongdoing, and Rybakina said she was never mistreated by him.

Rybakina sought his return at the start of 2025. Vukov successfully appealed the suspension and rejoined her team in August last year. She reached the US Open fourth round for the first time at their first tournament back together, sparking the strong end-of-season form that has now propelled her to the top.