Aryna Sabalenka’s 99-week run as the WTA’s No. 1-ranked player is coming to an end. On Wednesday at the 2026 US Open, Elena Rybakina defeated Qinwen Zheng in the quarterfinals to clinch the No. 1 ranking for the first time.
No trophy changed hands, and Sabalenka was not playing that day. Rybakina’s victory guaranteed that Sabalenka would lose the top ranking when the WTA rankings are updated after the US Open.
Sabalenka’s reaction was captured on ESPN as she watched the closing moments from a nearby practice court, creating one of the tournament’s most notable off-court moments.
How Rybakina sealed the top spot
Elena Rybakina needed to reach the semifinals of the 2026 US Open to guarantee the No. 1 ranking. Her quarterfinal victory over Qinwen Zheng secured that milestone before the tournament was over.
On Wednesday, Rybakina defeated Zheng 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in Arthur Ashe Stadium. The comeback sent Rybakina into her first US Open semifinal and secured the top ranking.
Rybakina’s victory guaranteed that Sabalenka would be replaced at No. 1 when the rankings are updated after the US Open.
Cameras capture an unscripted sideline moment
ESPN’s cameras captured Sabalenka during a practice session on Court P1 near Arthur Ashe Stadium as Rybakina’s quarterfinal against Zheng was reaching its conclusion.
Sabalenka was shown watching the final moments after Rybakina’s victory secured the future No. 1 ranking. The brief reaction quickly drew attention because Sabalenka appeared calm as she watched the result unfold.
Sabalenka later acknowledged that there was little she could do about losing the ranking, saying she could only focus on herself and her performance at the US Open.
Sabalenka’s calm and composed response
Sabalenka did not make a dramatic scene when Rybakina clinched the future No. 1 ranking. Her reaction on the ESPN broadcast appeared calm as she watched the closing moments of the quarterfinal.
Days later, Sabalenka addressed the ranking change after reaching the US Open final. She said she understood how difficult it is to reach No. 1 and acknowledged that Rybakina had played well enough to take the position.
“I didn’t really perform well in the middle of the season,” Sabalenka said. “Elena took it over and played really well. She took away the No. 1 position.”
A rivalry renewed at Flushing Meadows
The timing of it all made the moment feel even more dramatic than usual. Sabalenka and Rybakina were both still alive deep in the draw, setting up an eventual rematch on the sport’s biggest stage.
Rybakina ultimately reached the final by outlasting Coco Gauff across three tense sets, while Sabalenka separately defeated Jessica Pegula in her own semifinal to keep her title defense hopes fully alive heading into the weekend.
Their history added extra weight to the situation for both players and fans alike. The two had already met in a Grand Slam final earlier that same season, making this US Open showdown feel personal.
Chasing history deep in New York
Sabalenka entered the final chasing something historic entirely of her own making, a third consecutive US Open championship that would place her among an extremely small and truly exclusive group of modern-era tennis champions.
She had already won nineteen straight matches at Flushing Meadows dating back to her 2023 final loss against Gauff, an active winning streak that few players in the sport could match.
Only Evert and Williams had previously won three consecutive US Open singles titles in the Open Era. Evert won four straight from 1975 through 1978, while Williams won three straight from 2012 through 2014.
Little-known fact: Sabalenka has a YouTube series chronicling her life called Aryna’s Arena, and she has 7.2 million combined followers across TikTok and Instagram, more than any other active WTA player except Serena Williams.
Putting the reign in historical perspective
Sabalenka’s current consecutive reign at No. 1 began on Oct. 21, 2024, and reached 99 weeks through the 2026 US Open. Rybakina’s run to the semifinals guaranteed that Sabalenka would lose the ranking when the WTA rankings are updated after the tournament.
Including an earlier stint at No. 1, Sabalenka has spent 107 weeks at the top of the WTA rankings. That 107-week total ranks 10th all-time among women, according to the WTA.
What comes next for both stars
Looking further ahead, Sabalenka made it abundantly clear that the sudden ranking swap would not define her overall mindset heading into the championship final against Rybakina on tennis’s single biggest annual stage.
She calmly framed losing the top spot as simply part of the normal competitive sport, noting that essentially every single player out there is always chasing every other player at any given moment.
Whatever the eventual final’s outcome turned out to be, women’s tennis had already delivered one of its most memorable and talked-about storylines of the entire year before a single championship point was even played.
TL;DR
- ESPN’s cameras captured Sabalenka watching from a nearby practice court as Rybakina’s quarterfinal victory clinched the future No. 1 ranking.
- Rybakina beat Qinwen Zheng 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to reach the semifinals and secure the No. 1 ranking for the post-US Open rankings.
- Sabalenka later said there was “not much I can do” and called the constant pursuit of the No. 1 ranking “the beauty of sport.”
- Both women reached the 2026 US Open final, setting up a rematch of their 2026 Australian Open final.
- Sabalenka has 107 total weeks at No. 1, which ranks 10th all-time, and she carried a 19-match US Open winning streak into the final.
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This article was made with AI assistance and human editing.
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