Elena Rybakina Compares Reaching No.1 Ranking to Winning Grand Slam Titles

Elena Rybakina is the newest player to reach the No.1 ranking- well, not officially yet. Rybakina will officially become No.1 on Monday next week. The Kazakh ace, on Wednesday (September 9), came from a set down to defeat Qinwen Zheng 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 and dethroned Aryna Sabalenka from the top of the live rankings.

The Belarusian ace, the two-time defending champion at Flushing Meadows, has not yet won a title since the Miami Open, as a result of which she lost significant points for failing to make deep runs in quite a few tournaments since then. Sabalenka, in fact, will be playing her second semifinal (here at the US Open) since that Miami Open. It was Rybakina who denied her a third Australian Open title earlier this year.

Rybakina then lost to her in the Indian Wells final, before she clinched the Stuttgart Open by defeating Karolina Muchova and lost the Canadian Open to six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek. At the press conference after eliminating the resurgent Zheng, Rybakina was asked to compare her new achievement of No.1 ranking to winning Grand Slam titles.

It’s a different achievement. I feel like you’re going for the titles more, and the ranking it might go up – maybe not, it depends how others play. Mostly, you think about the titles at the end of the day. I’m glad that I have two right now. I try my best to win here. If not, of course I’ll have other chances.

The two Majors that she lifted were the 2022 Wimbledon and this year’s Australian Open. She also reached the final of the 2023 Australian Open, losing the match to Sabalenka.

But it would be nice to say ok I’ve won- I don’t know, three out of four… if it’s gonna be this time here… if not, I feel like every time, all the results and all the achievements, you can really appreciate and reflect only a little bit later. Not in the moment when everything is happening.

Elena Rybakina added

At the US Open, Rybakina will be playing in the semifinals for the first time. Before this season, she had never progressed past the third round.

Elena Rybakina on the scheduling of her matches

Elena Rybakina complained about the shadows while playing during the daytime. At the press conference after her quarterfinal win, she was asked whether she would rather play during the daytime or start late into the night like the thrilling Carlos Alcaraz-Ben Shelton quarterfinal clash that ended at 3:33 am.

Yeah, I think both options are not the greatest. I mean, playing at night is very difficult and so late because after, if you win… to recover, it’s very tough, especially for the guys. In the morning, if I would play maybe one or two matches, maybe it would have been easier. I don’t know. But yeah, I was a bit complaining to myself, not maybe to the team. I found a way, and now, since I already played in the morning, I played in the evening, so there is nothing to complain anymore.

Rybakina has a tough challenge in front of her, for she will be facing 2023 US Open champion Coco Gauff in the semifinals. Gauff overcame a set deficit to knock out reigning Roland Garros champion Mirra Andreeva.

Rybakina and Gauff are tied at 1-1 in the head-to-head matchups, with the former winning their last meeting, in the semifinals of this year’s Canadian Open. It was also the last time Gauff lost a match, as she went on to end her title drought at the Cincinnati Open by beating Jessica Pegula.

Also read: Alexandra Eala Given Breakout Star Label Despite Third-Round US Open Exit Sparks Wild Reactions – “Did She Win Anything at All?”