Elena Rybakina, of Kazakhstan, celebrates winning a match against Naomi Osaka, of Japan, during the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in New York.
Elena Rybakina, of Kazakhstan, celebrates winning a match against Naomi Osaka, of Japan, during the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, in New York.
Kirsty Wigglesworth - APElena Rybakina overpowered Naomi Osaka at the U.S. Open and is a win away from the No. 1 ranking in women’s tennis. She just has to beat Zheng Qinwen, which won’t be easy. Even when Zheng goes down — way, way down — she refuses to stay there. Rybakina advanced to the quarterfinals Monday with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Osaka in a matchup of power-hitting Grand Slam champions. The No. 2-seeded Rybakina is guaranteed to replace Aryna Sabalenka atop the WTA rankings if she reaches the semifinals in Flushing Meadows. Zheng rallied from a 5-0 deficit for the second straight match and beat No. 8 seed Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-3

(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In