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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Tumaini Carayol at Flushing Meadows

Rybakina sinks Zheng to grab No 1 spot and set up US Open semi-final with Gauff

Elena Rybakina
‘It’s just a number right now’: Elena Rybakina was typically understated after becoming world No 1. Photograph: Robert Deutsch/Imagn Images/Reuters

Elena Rybakina will become the No 1 woman in the world for the first time after orchestrating a supreme recovery to reach the semi-finals of the US Open with a 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 win over the Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen.

By becoming just the 30th player in the history of the WTA to reach the No 1 ranking, Rybakina ends Aryna Sabalenka’s extended spell at the top. The Belarusian has held the position for 99 successive weeks, the sixth-longest consecutive reign in history, and 107 weeks in total.

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