Rybakina Crushes Osaka in 66 Minutes at US Open — But One More Win Could Make Her World No. 1
NEW YORK — Elena Rybakina turned one of the most anticipated matches of the US Open into a 66-minute statement of intent, overpowering Naomi Osaka 6-1, 6-4 on Monday to reach the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows for the first time in her career.
The victory did more than keep Rybakina's bid for a third Grand Slam championship alive. It moved the Kazakhstan star to within one victory of becoming world No. 1 for the first time, adding another layer of pressure to her looming showdown with China's Zheng Qinwen. The WTA says a quarterfinal victory over Zheng would guarantee that Rybakina replaces Aryna Sabalenka at the top of the rankings after the US Open.
Rybakina Takes Just 22 Minutes to Blow Open the Match
There was little sign of a heavyweight struggle in the opening set.
The second-seeded Rybakina immediately imposed her power from the baseline and on serve, taking the first set 6-1 in only 22 minutes. She converted two of three break-point opportunities and repeatedly kept Osaka from establishing the aggressive first-strike tennis that has powered the Japanese star to four major championships.
Rybakina finished the match with 29 winners, seven aces and only 17 unforced errors, according to the WTA. She also saved the only break point she faced, illustrating just how difficult it was for Osaka to create openings against one of the biggest servers and cleanest ball-strikers on the women's tour.
Even Rybakina admitted the level of her performance caught her somewhat by surprise.
She said she had felt the ball particularly well and knew that, regardless of the score, she could not relax against an opponent as dangerous and aggressive as Osaka.
Osaka Fights Back — But Achilles Problem Limits Her
Osaka showed considerably more resistance in the second set, but her attempt to turn the match around was complicated by a lingering left Achilles tendon problem.
At 2-2, the Japanese star was seen clutching her left leg. The injury had already caused problems in an earlier round, and Reuters reported that Osaka was hampered by the Achilles issue during Monday's defeat.
Rybakina eventually found the decisive breakthrough in the seventh game when Osaka sent a forehand into the net. The Kazakh maintained control from there and completed the straight-sets victory in one hour and six minutes, closing another door on an Osaka comeback.
Osaka later said her greatest disappointment was not simply losing, but being unable to push off properly because of the injury.
Still, the 28-year-old offered a strikingly different perspective on defeat than earlier in her career. Osaka, whose most recent major championship came at the 2021 Australian Open, said motherhood and life away from tennis had reshaped the way she measures success.
The former world No. 1 won the US Open in 2018 and 2020, as well as Australian Open titles in 2019 and 2021.
From Injury Doubts to a Historic US Open Run
Rybakina's performance is even more notable because her participation in New York had been uncertain only weeks earlier.
She had not competed since retiring from her Cincinnati Open quarterfinal against Iga Swiatek because of an injury. Reuters reported that Rybakina went seven days without playing and was limited in what she could do physically in the gym while preparing for the US Open.
Instead of looking rusty, however, the 27-year-old has surged through the draw without dropping a set.
The run marks another significant step in a career that already includes Wimbledon in 2022 and this year's Australian Open championship. Rybakina won her second Grand Slam title in Melbourne by defeating Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in the final.
Before this year, she had never reached the US Open quarterfinals.
Now she is not only chasing the New York trophy but potentially the biggest ranking milestone of her career.
One Win From World No. 1 — But Zheng Qinwen Is Surging
Rybakina's next opponent may be considerably more dangerous than her ranking suggests.
Zheng Qinwen, the 2024 Olympic champion, arrived in New York through qualifying after her ranking fell during an extended battle with an elbow problem. She has since become one of the tournament's biggest stories.
Against Madison Keys in the third round, Zheng recovered from 5-0 down in the deciding set before winning 1-6, 7-6(3), 7-5.
Then she produced another astonishing escape against Iga Swiatek. Zheng fell 5-0 behind in the opening set but stormed back to win seven consecutive games, eventually eliminating the six-time major champion 7-5, 6-3.
She became the first qualifier since Emma Raducanu's famous 2021 championship run to reach the US Open women's quarterfinals.
That resilience has Rybakina's attention.
The Kazakh said Zheng appears to have rediscovered her confidence and warned that the Chinese star is particularly dangerous after repeatedly fighting her way out of seemingly impossible positions.
The Stakes Could Hardly Be Higher
For Rybakina, the equation is unusually simple.
Beat Zheng, reach the semifinals and the world No. 1 ranking is hers. The WTA and ESPN both confirm that advancing to the last four would guarantee Rybakina replaces Sabalenka at the top of women's tennis.
It would represent a dramatic turnaround from the uncertainty surrounding her fitness before the tournament.
Rybakina entered New York unsure how her body would respond. Four matches later, she has yet to surrender a set, has dismissed one of the sport's most accomplished hard-court players in barely an hour and is suddenly within touching distance of both another major championship and the No. 1 ranking.
But Zheng's extraordinary US Open survival act means the final step may be the hardest one yet.
WWC ONE MEDIA M.J.E