US Open WTA Quarter-Finals Round-up | Elena Rybakina set to be crowned World No.1 following comeback win against Zheng Qinwen

Elena Rybakina has broken ground in New York. She gave Zheng Qinwen a dose of her own medicine in a 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 comeback win which not just confirmed her a spot in a maiden US Open semi-final, but the World No.1 spot in the WTA rankings.

All the talk before this match was not just about a coveted spot in the last-four of the US Open but surrounding the World No.1 spot. Rybakina knew this all too well, but her main focus was not on Aryna Sabalenka ahead of her but challenging for the US Open title. She would meet a resilient Zheng who gave her a tough time on court.

Including qualifying matches, Zheng had spent around four hours more on court than Rybakina had. On top of that, a lot of emotions had been spent following successfully qualifying for the Grand Slam as well as some amazing and well-documented comebacks.

The former World No.4 sealed the first set late with a break before prevailing in a very long game to put the pressure on Rybakina. In turn, her response was emphatic as she forced a decider. The match could have gone either way, and if Zheng converted a break point to go 5-3 ahead it could have been her in the headlines. Instead, Rybakina won the final three games and will compete against either Coco Gauff or Mirra Andreeva for a spot in a second Grand Slam final of 2026.

No early signs of nerves by Zheng who recorded a hold to love which was instantly backed up by one of Rybakina’s own who presented the ominous threat that her first serve brings when on song. This trend of holds continued in the opening seven games with neither player able to muster up a break point.

The first break point created came against the Rybakina serve, but a shoddy miss by the former Olympic champion left her visibly frustrated. However, it would soon be turned to joy as she converted a second break point moments later as the Rybakina level dipped at a crucial time.

Zheng got the first set under her belt, but after a 14-minute marathon game that saw five break points and four set points be created. Double faults and unforced errors were regularly not punished or capitalised on as the former Australian Open finalist managed to get the first set on the board.

Between the sets, Rybakina and her coach, Stefano Vukov, exchanged some tense words in what seemed to be a heated argument with the pair disagreeing on something. Vukov was very vocal, as he had been throughout the match, with Rybakina walking away shaking her head.

This frustration was put to good use as the two-time Grand Slam champion raced into a 3-0 lead. The Zheng level did dip as she failed to convert a break point to make it 3-2. It was a resurgent patch, but the consistency was not there compared to the first set.

This resulted in Rybakina to lead 5-1 with the momentum firmly on her side of the court. She blasted towards another commendable hold and parity in this quarter-final, continuing the trend of last-eight matches in New York heading the distance.

It began relatively routine with holds of serve the name of the game, but there was a contrast. As the scoreline read 3-3, Rybakina had dropped just one point on serve. Zheng was constantly under pressure and had a break point to deal with, but Rybakina was without her clinical edge for the time being.

That could be said for Zheng who, after setting up a break point with a brilliant backhand, tried to repeat the shot but was hapless when seeing it go long. Rybakina survived to make it 4-4.

From that break point, Rybakina won six points on the spin and led 0-40. Zheng rebuffed all those openings but was not out of the woods. A fourth shot came Rybakina’s way, and a double fault was the gift she had been begging for. Rybakina converted a first match point and is in the final-four of the US Open.