Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina eyes US Open quarterfinal and world No. 1 ranking
Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina will compete for a place in the US Open quarterfinals on September 7, with the world No. 1 ranking also within reach, Qazinform News Agency reports.
Kazakhstan’s top-ranked player advanced to the fourth round of the final Grand Slam tournament of the season after defeating Ukraine’s Yuliia Starodubtseva 7-6, 6-3 in the third round. The result saw Rybakina match her best performance at the US Open and move closer to the top of the WTA rankings.
Current world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus has already secured her place in the quarterfinals, but Rybakina remains firmly in contention for the top spot in the WTA rankings.
To become world No. 1 for the first time in her career, Rybakina needs to win her fourth-round match and advance at least to the US Open semifinals. If she does so, she will take over the top ranking regardless of Sabalenka’s result at the tournament.
Standing between Rybakina and a place in the quarterfinals is Japan’s Naomi Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion and former world No. 1. The winner could potentially face Pole Iga Swiatek, another former world No. 1, in the quarterfinals.
Rybakina’s next challenge will be Japan’s Naomi Osaka. Despite both players having spent years at the highest level of women’s tennis, they have met only once in an official match, with Rybakina winning their sole encounter.
The two faced each other on August 12, 2026, in the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 tournament in Toronto. Osaka won the opening set, but Rybakina responded by taking the second on a tiebreak before completing the comeback in the deciding set.
Rybakina eventually prevailed 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 after more than two and a half hours of play, firing 15 aces on her way to victory.
Their second meeting will take place in the fourth round of the US Open on Monday, September 7, at Louis Armstrong Stadium. The match is scheduled to begin no earlier than 11:30 pm Astana time, although the start time may shift depending on the length of the preceding matches.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Kazakhstan’s top-ranked women’s doubles player Anna Danilina had opened her US Open doubles campaign with a first-round victory.
