Rybakina Clinches World No. 1, Faces Gauff in US Open Semi-Final

A New No. 1 Takes the Court at Flushing Meadows

Elena Rybakina is the new WTA World No. 1. The Kazakh player clinched the top ranking by reaching the semi-finals of the 2026 US Open, making her the first Kazakh athlete — male or female — to lead the WTA rankings. Rybakina had entered the final week of the tournament knowing that a semi-final place would be enough to overtake Aryna Sabalenka in the live standings. By defeating Qinwen Zheng in three sets in the quarterfinals, she duly delivered. Now, with the ranking secured, she faces perhaps her toughest remaining test: a semi-final tonight against Coco Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion.

A Quarterfinal Win Built on Character

Rybakina's match against Zheng was a fair representation of her season: she dropped the opening set before recalibrating and taking control of the match across the final two sets. It has become a recurring pattern for the 27-year-old — a slow start followed by a dominant middle and late game that opponents struggle to withstand. Her serve, one of the heaviest weapons in women's tennis, and a forehand that generates angles and depth in equal measure, have made her the most complete hard-court player on the WTA tour across 2026. This is her fifth consecutive Grand Slam quarter-final and her third US Open semi-final in four years.

The path to world number one has been years in the making. Rybakina won Wimbledon in 2022 — still representing Kazakhstan after switching from Russia as a junior — and has since built one of the most consistent profiles in the sport without ever holding the top position. Sabalenka's grip on the ranking has been formidable, but Rybakina's unbroken hard-court form across the North American swing finally forced the change at the top.

The Gauff Challenge Tonight

Standing between Rybakina and a place in the final is Gauff, the fourth seed, whose tournament has not been without turbulence. Against Mirra Andreeva in the quarterfinals, Gauff dropped the first set 2-6 before pulling away to win in three. She has now recovered from a set down in four of her five matches at this US Open, a statistic that captures both the difficulty of her draws and a composure under pressure that has defined her career at Flushing Meadows.

Rybakina leads Gauff in their 2026 head-to-head, having eliminated the American in the semi-finals of the WTA 1000 event in Toronto. Gauff will need to find greater consistency off the return — Rybakina's serve has won around 75 percent of first-serve points at this tournament — and neutralise the Kazakh's aggressive baseline game that leaves little room for error. The match is the second night-session contest on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

WTAWuhan loses 11 players, including Rybakina and defending champion Gauff

Sabalenka and Pegula Complete the Women's Draw

In the first women's semi-final, two-time defending champion Sabalenka takes on Jessica Pegula. Their meeting is the third consecutive year these two have faced each other in the final stages of this tournament, with Sabalenka having won both previous encounters at Flushing Meadows. Sabalenka survived a difficult quarterfinal against Linda Noskova, winning 7-6, 3-6, 7-6 in a match that went to tiebreak in both the opening and closing sets. Pegula overcame Emma Navarro 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 to reach her fourth US Open semi-final. A final between Sabalenka and Rybakina — the two best-ranked players in the world — would represent one of the highest-quality title matches the women's game has produced in years. The women's final is scheduled for Saturday, September 12.