Rybakina routs Osaka, is one win from No. 1 ranking

Elena Rybakina overpowered Naomi Osaka 6-1, 6-4 on Monday at the US Open, advancing to the quarterfinals and moving one win away from claiming the world No. 1 ranking for the first time in her career. She will face Qinwen Zheng, who produced another extraordinary comeback from a 5-0 deficit to defeat former champion Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-3 in what has become the tournament's most compelling storyline.arabnews+1

Rybakina Closes In on No. 1

Rybakina, the No. 2 seed and reigning Australian Open champion, needed just 66 minutes to dispatch the 13th-seeded Osaka at Louis Armstrong Stadium, striking 29 winners and seven aces while conceding only four points on her serve in the opening set. Osaka, a two-time US Open champion, appeared to be dealing with a foot or ankle issue and could not convert her only break point of the match.bbc+1

Rybakina is guaranteed to replace Aryna Sabalenka atop the WTA rankings if she reaches the semifinals. Even if she loses to Zheng on Wednesday, she can still rise to No. 1 if none of Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, or Jessica Pegula wins the title.arabnews

"Of course I want it, I don't know anyone who wouldn't wish this," Rybakina said. "I try to approach the same way, try to do everything I can, fight until the end my next match and let's see what's going to happen".arabnews

Zheng's Comeback From the Brink

Zheng's victory over No. 8 seed Swiatek was the latest chapter in a remarkable run through qualifying and into the final eight. For the second consecutive match, the 2024 Olympic gold medalist fell behind 5-0 — this time in the first set — before reeling off seven straight games to seize control. She became the first qualifier to reach the US Open quarterfinals since Emma Raducanu won the title in 2021.skysports+3

Swiatek held two set points serving at 5-1 but could not close it out. "I started making mistakes from easy balls and Qinwen stopped doing mistakes," Swiatek said. "She played the balls better".wsls

Zheng, who underwent elbow surgery and saw her ranking tumble to 121st, entered the tournament through qualifying after first-round exits at both the French Open and Wimbledon earlier this year. "I guess to come back 0-5 is not lucky, that's all I can say," Zheng said.nbcsports+1

A Loaded Quarterfinal Ahead

Wednesday's quarterfinal between Rybakina and Zheng carries layers of intrigue — a potential new No. 1 against a qualifier who has defied every deficit thrown at her. Swiatek had entered with a 7-1 career record against Zheng, the lone loss coming at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where Zheng also overcame a deficit to end Swiatek's 25-match Roland Garros winning streak.nbcsports+1

"I suffered a lot, and I have been through a lot of pain every single loss I have," Zheng told reporters. "But I think at the end, sport, you just need to stay humble and keep fighting, because once you lose that, the result really shows everything".straitstimes