Elena Rybakina advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2026 U.S. Open on Monday with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Naomi Osaka. The matchup of power-hitting Grand Slam champions lasted just one hour and six minutes. The victory marks the first time the 27-year-old Rybakina has reached the quarterfinals in Flushing Meadows.
WTA rankings and Aryna Sabalenka
The No. 2-seeded Rybakina, who is the reigning Australian Open champion, is now one win away from the No. 1 ranking in women’s tennis. She is guaranteed to replace Aryna Sabalenka atop the WTA rankings if she reaches the semifinals. Rybakina, whose current No. 2 ranking is her career best, expressed her ambition regarding the top spot:
Rybakinaは、当然ながらランキング1位を目指しており、それを望まない人はいないだろうが、間違いなく自身の目標の一つであると述べた。
また、これまでと同様のアプローチで、次戦でもできる限りのことを尽くして最後まで戦い、結果を待ちたいと語った。
Naomi Osaka’s fourth round exit
Osaka, a two-time U.S. Open champion from 2018 and 2020, saw her bid for a third title end in the fourth round. Despite the loss, Osaka remained upbeat during her post-match press conference, where she addressed physical discomfort she began experiencing during her third-round match.
Osaka’s path to the fourth round included a tight 7-6(6), 7-6(3) opening-round win over Anastasia Zakharova, a 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 victory over Kateřina Siniaková, and a 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 win over Elise Mertens of Belgium on Saturday evening. While Osaka reached the semifinals at the U.S. Open last year, she has not progressed past the quarterfinals of a major tournament in 2026. She previously missed the Australian Open due to an abdominal injury before reaching the fourth round of the French Open. With this exit, Osaka will go a fifth consecutive year without winning a major title.
Prior to the U.S. Open, Osaka had a solid run during the North American hardcourt swing. She reached the semifinals at the Mubadala DC Open, where she lost to eventual champion Alexandra Eala, and reached the quarterfinals at the Canadian Open, where she lost to eventual runner-up Rybakina.
Quarterfinal matchup with Zheng Qinwen
Rybakina is scheduled to face Zheng Qinwen in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Zheng, a 2024 Olympic gold medalist from China, reached the final eight by defeating No. 8 seed Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-3 in a fourth-round upset on Monday. Zheng becomes the first qualifier to reach the quarterfinals in Flushing Meadows since Emma Raducanu won the title in 2021.
Zheng’s matches against Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek
Zheng enters the matchup with Rybakina having made a “daring escape” from a 5-0 deficit in two consecutive matches. Two days prior to the Swiatek match, Zheng was down 5-0 in the third set against No. 22 Madison Keys before winning the final seven games to win 1-6, 7-6(3), 7-5. In the match against Swiatek, the 2022 U.S. Open champion, Zheng again dropped the first five games. Reflecting on her previous comeback, Zheng said,
Zhengは、昨日の0-5からの逆転劇は運が良かったのだと思う、と振り返った。
