Aryna Sabalenka Will Happily Lose No.1 Ranking to Elena Rybakina If She Completes US Open Three-Peat

Aryna Sabalenka is just two wins away from a three-peat at the US Open. On Tuesday (September 8), Sabalenka overcame reigning Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova 7-6(1), 3-6, 7-6(7) to reach the semifinals of this event for the sixth consecutive time in her career.

Sabalenka, in fact, will be playing in the semifinals of a Major for the second time this season, following the Australian Open, where Elena Rybakina denied her a third title in that tournament with a three-set win. After skipping the two WTA 1000s on the Middle East Swing, Sabalenka completed the rare Sunshine Double by defeating Rybakina in Indian Wells and Coco Gauff in Miami.

But since that win, she has not yet added any title to her trophy cabinet, reaching only a couple of finals (at the Berlin Open and in this US Open). And as a consequence, she is on the verge of losing her No.1 ranking.

Sabalenka will be dethroned from the top if Rybakina defeats Qinwen Zheng in the quarterfinals, even if she ends up winning the title. The 28-year-old, however, has made it clear that she will be more than happy to complete the hat-trick of the Major even if it means losing her top spot to the Kazakh ace.

Yes, I’ll be more than happy. Whatever. I don’t mind… Yes. Three-peat. Sounds great.

Aryna Sabalenka said at the press conference

There are two more contenders for the No.1 position: Gauff and Jessica Pegula. Both Americans will reach their career-best ranking if they win the title and Rybakina fails to reach the semifinals.

It was Pegula whom Sabalenka defeated in the 2023 US Open final. And it was Gauff who defeated the four-time Grand Slam singles champion in the 2023 US Open final. Last year, Sabalenka beat Amanda Anisimova in the final.

Aryna Sabalenka will face Jessica Pegula in the semifinals

Aryna Sabalenka will next play an opponent whom she has faced 13 times already. And it’s none other than Jessica Pegula. Sabalenka leads their head-to-head 9-4, but lost twice in their last three matches, including in this year’s Berlin Open semifinal.

Yeah, Jessica is really challenging player to play against, and I can say that she really improved a lot in the last couple years. She improved her game. She’s really putting me on under so much pressure. But I’m loving playing against her because it’s a battle, because it’s a fight, and I love being under pressure and going through tough challenges.

Aryna Sabalenka said at the press conference

Pegula has won two titles from five finals so far. Earlier this season, she clinched the Dubai Tennis Championships and the Charleston Open, then lost the Berlin Open, Citi Open, and the Cincinnati Open.

I have to say that knowing that physically my body can handle these matches again, I’m super happy with that. And of course, this kind of tight matches gives you so much confidence that you’re back and you’re ready to do anything it takes to get the win. So this match definitely gives me boost of energy and motivation.

Aryna Sabalenka added

The winner of the match will face Coco Gauff, Mirra Andreeva, Elena Rybakina, or Qinwen Zheng. Among these women, only Zheng and Pegula haven’t yet won a Grand Slam title.

Before securing the match against Rybakina, the 2024 Paris Olympics gold medalist overcame a 0-5 deficit against Madison Keys in the decider during their third-round clash and repeated the same feat in the first set against Iga Swiatek in the fourth round. Both Pegula and Zheng are one-time Grand Slam finalists. Zheng lost to Sabalenka at the 2024 Australian Open.

Also read: Tennis Australia CEO Andrew Abdo Hints at Ditching Best-of-Five Sets in Grand Slams: “We Need to Explore”