Aryna Sabalenka is dethroned as world No. 1 with Elena Rybakina taking the top spot

Aryna Sabalenka has lost her status as the world No. 1 after Elena Rybakina booked her spot in the US Open semifinals by defeating Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen. 

Rybakina, the 2026 Australian Open champion, needed only to make the semifinals of the US Open to assume the ranking for the first time in her career.

She came from a set down to knock out Chinese qualifier Qinwen Zheng 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 over two hours and 14 minutes on the Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday, September 9.

Rybakina, 27, of Kazakhstan, is the second-oldest player to assume the ranking for the first time. (Angelique Kerber earned the ranking at age 28 in 2016.)

Speaking on court after the match, Rybakina told Andrea Petkovic: “It’s tough to find words. It’s been a very difficult match and honestly a lot of nerves, of course.

“It wasn’t maybe the highest level but I am glad I pushed through and thank you so much guys for coming, supporting. It’s been an early match, and in my head I was complaining a little bit about the sun, shadow, a lot of things.

“It was definitely a battle inside me, but I’m glad that I pushed all the negative thoughts away and I kept fighting. Again, super happy to be in the semis here. I didn’t start that well.

“It was too much negative, and also it wasn’t easy because all the matches I played here were at night, and I was scheduled to play once in the morning, and it was raining, so basically it’s been the first match like this with the sun, so there were a lot of unforced errors. Then I was just telling myself, keep fighting, keep working on some things, and it went my way.

“I’m just super happy. It’s just a number right now and, of course, I’m in the semis, so my goal is to win the tournament. I go one match at a time. It’s an amazing achievement, but you know how quick everything can change in tennis, ranking-wise, during the match. I feel like i just need to focus on my game, try to recover, and enjoy tomorrow.”

Before today, Belarusian tennis star Aryna Sabalenka had spent 99 consecutive weeks at the summit of the women’s game and 106 weeks in total, but knew her position was under threat heading into the tournament in New York. 

Her 99-week reign as world number one stretched back to 21 October 2024 and stands as the sixth-longest streak in WTA history.

Rybakina will await the winner of Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva in the semifinals of the US Open, two players she has close head-to-head records with.