Rybakina on reaching world No. 1: “You appreciate and think about it even more when you finish your career”
Elena Rybakina became the first player from Kazakhstan to reach world No. 1 after beating Zheng Qinwen 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to make her first US Open semifinal. She says the ranking will only mean something to her once she has retired, that the titles matter more, and that the calm she showed while losing the first set was covering a bad evening.
Elena Rybakina, US Open 2026 | © Javier Garcia/Shutterstock/SIPA
Elena Rybakina will be world No. 1 on Monday for the first time in her career, and reaching the semifinals of the US Open was all she needed to guarantee it. The Kazakh got there by beating Chinese qualifier Zheng Qinwen 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 on Wednesday in New York, a first semifinal at this tournament, and the points that came with it put her beyond anything Aryna Sabalenka can still reach, even by winning the title. That ends 99 consecutive weeks at the top for the Belarusian, who had held the ranking since October 21, 2024, and makes Rybakina the first player from Kazakhstan ever to hold it. This is the press conference that followed the match.
You lost the first set and were level at 4-4 in the third. What was that evening like?
Elena Rybakina: Very difficult match. Very stressful. Didn’t start my best and found a way in the end. A lot of thoughts was going through the head in the beginning, but glad that I managed to find a way.
Where did those thoughts come from? Was it there in practice in the morning?
Elena Rybakina: In the practice I felt actually well, but as soon as we started to play, I didn’t feel the ball as well as I played my last match. Last match, everything was going in, and it was just nice feeling. Today I was struggling a bit to find the contact point. It was sun, shadow. Sometimes I was reacting too late on the ball, especially on the return, so a lot of small things like this. In your head, instead of focusing on what you need to do next, you focus on these details, and they are not letting you play freely.
You went to your box at the end of the first set. What was said?
Elena Rybakina: I was quite negative and didn’t start well the first set, so I came and I was just letting the emotions out a bit, telling everything what was on my mind. He just kept me focused and tried to tell me to remember what we talked about before the match, what I should do. In the first set I was a few moments passive, not enough energy, and in the second set I stepped in and played a little bit more aggressive in the important moments.
You are very hard to read on court. Are you as calm as you look?
Elena Rybakina: No, of course it’s a lot of things going on inside. People who know me well, long enough, they read even little changes in my face. It was a bit of a battle even inside myself, a lot of emotions. It was quite negative in the beginning, but then I found the way. I found the focus, and it got better. But definitely there is a lot going on always.
Jannik Sinner once said that inside him there is a storm. How windy was it in there?
Elena Rybakina: It’s a lot of emotions. I’m trying to hide it, because you just don’t want to let the opponent see your frustration when something is going wrong. The best I did in that moment is just come to the box and let it out. They listened to me. And actually I was missing one more person in my box today. Unfortunately he got sick, so every day for us is a surprise. It’s been a difficult morning, but we managed to do everything we could.
It means a lot, of course, but…
You will be world No. 1 on Monday. What does that mean to you tonight?
Elena Rybakina: It means a lot, of course, but as I was saying before, I don’t think about it so much. It’s a great achievement, and I feel like you will appreciate and think about it even more when you finish your career. Now, you still need to keep on going. It’s nice whenever you’re done to say, okay, I won these tournaments, I’ve been No. 1, it’s amazing. But right now, you never know how long you’re going to stay. There is still many things. I want to win the titles still, so all my thoughts are just for the next match.
How does it compare with your two Grand Slam titles?
Elena Rybakina: It’s a different achievement. You’re going for the titles more, and then the ranking, it might follow up, maybe not. Depends on how other plays. But mostly you think about the titles at the end of the day, and I’m glad I have two right now. I try my best to win here. If not, of course I will have other chances. But it will be nice to say, okay, I’ve won three out of four, if it’s going to be this time here.
Was being No. 1 something you dreamed about as a child?
Elena Rybakina: No. When I was a kid, I never thought that I’m going to be professional or that I’m going to be playing on these kind of tournaments, on the biggest stages. My choice of staying professional was at 17 years old, and this is where I believed that I can do well. Of course, I didn’t know how far I can come. But as a kid, I was just enjoying playing tennis after school, hanging out with the friends. It was just for fun.
No player from Kazakhstan has ever held the ranking. What will it mean there?
Elena Rybakina: It’s history, and I’m very proud representing Kazakhstan. Every time I come back, no matter which city I go, it’s always so many kids. Now they play tennis, and more and more are coming to the tennis facilities. It’s just amazing how many young people are looking up to you, and it just proves that everything is possible if you believe, if you work hard. It’s tough for me to say right now, because I didn’t even check the phone, but of course a lot of people are congratulating. When I go there, I definitely want to give appreciations. Unfortunately not that often I can go, but I think it’s an amazing achievement for the country.
You mentioned the sun and the shadows. Would you rather have that, or play until three in the morning as the men did on Tuesday?
Elena Rybakina: Both options are not the greatest. 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 in the morning, maybe it would have been easier. I don’t know. I was a bit complaining to myself, maybe to the team a bit, but I found a way. Now, since I already played in the morning and I played in the evening, there is nothing to complain anymore.
And the semifinal?
Elena Rybakina: I just need to stay aggressive, try not let my emotions stop me playing, and enjoy. From where I was coming to this tournament, being injured and not practicing, I think we came pretty far. Now we just need the last pushes, and it’s important to still enjoy.
