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Rybakina ends Zheng’s inspired run For Elena Rybakina, it’s a case of one goal down and one more to go. The second seed overcame Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to reach her first US Open semi-final and secure her rise to the world No.1 spot when the new rankings are released on Monday. It’s a historic feat for the 27-year-old, who is the first player from Kazakhstan – man or woman – to be ranked No.1 in the world in tennis. A two-time major winner already, at Wimbledon and the Australian Open, Rybakina is proud of her achievement but insists that she is keeping her eye on the prize as she switches her focus to her Thursday semi-final showdown with fourth-seeded Gauff. “It means a lot, of course, but as I was saying before, I don't think about it so much,” said Rybakina of her rise to No.1. “It's a great achievement, and I feel like you will appreciate and think about it even more when you finish your career. “Like now, you still need to keep on going, and 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 it's great. You never know how long you're going to stay. It's still many things. I want to win the titles still in the tournaments, so all my thoughts are just for the next match.”