New York, Sept. 10 -- Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina battled past China's Qinwen Zheng in a three-set thriller to reach the women's singles semifinals of the US Open here on Wednesday, while securing the world No. 1 ranking.
The second-seeded Rybakina overcame a slow start to defeat Zheng 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in two hours and 14 minutes at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The victory made Rybakina the 30th woman to reach the top of the WTA singles rankings since their introduction in 1975. She is assured of becoming the new world No. 1 irrespective of the remaining results at Flushing Meadows, ending Aryna Sabalenka's nearly 100-week reign at the summit.
Zheng, the 2024 Paris Olympic champion, took the opening set 6-3 after breaking Rybakina in a marathon eig...