By Amy Tennery
NEW YORK, Sept 9 (Reuters) – Elena Rybakina became the first player representing Kazakhstan to secure the world number one ranking on Wednesday, as she reached the U.S. Open semi-finals in a campaign that once appeared in jeopardy.
The second seed retired injured from the Cincinnati tune-up tournament last month and had scarcely more than a week to get back on track before the year’s final major, casting a shadow over her prospects at Flushing Meadows.
But those clouds have since cleared and Rybakina shone under the blistering summer sun on Wednesday as she battled past Zheng Qinwen to reach the tournament’s last four and secure the number one ranking.
“I think from where I was coming to this tournament, being injured and not practising, I think we came pretty far,” said Rybakina, who faces the 2023 champion Coco Gauff for a spot in the final.
She is assured of top spot when the rankings update on Monday, regardless of the outcome, a breakthrough moment for Kazakhstan on the sport’s global stage.
She is the 30th woman to capture the number one spot, after dethroning Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka.
“I’m very proud representing Kazakhstan. Every time I come back to Kazakhstan, no matter which city I go, it’s always so many kids,” she told reporters. “Now they play tennis, and more and more are coming to the tennis facilities.”
The Russian-born Rybakina switched allegiances to Kazakhstan in 2018 to get more financial support and has since transformed the country’s tennis profile, becoming its first Grand Slam singles champion at Wimbledon in 2022 before winning the Australian Open this year.
Kazakhstan Tennis Federation President Bulat Utemuratov called it a “historic day.”
“She continues to perfectly exemplify the successful development of tennis in our country, and her ascent to the very top of world tennis will deeply inspire the younger generation of Kazakhstani players,” he said in a statement.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New YorkEditing by Toby Davis)
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