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Rybakina Begins US Open Campaign With World No. 1 Ranking in Sight
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan /Elections & Politics

Rybakina Begins US Open Campaign With World No. 1 Ranking in Sight

From The Astana Times · () English

Summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Ongoing story
  • Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina leads the WTA live rankings as the US Open begins, putting her in position to become the first Kazakh player to reach No. 1.
  • She could take the top spot without winning a match if Aryna Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff fail to win the title, while a semifinal berth would guarantee the ranking.
  • Rybakina is trying to focus on staying healthy after an ankle injury and is scheduled to face 17-year-old American Thea Frodin.

Elena Rybakina enters the US Open with more than an opening-round match in view. The Kazakh player has moved to No. 1 in the WTA live rankings, raising the possibility that she could become the first player from Kazakhstan to lead the official standings.

Rybakina has 7,911 live-ranking points, ahead of Aryna Sabalenka on 6,585, Jessica Pegula on 6,555 and Coco Gauff on 6,474. The official rankings still place Sabalenka first with 8,575 points and Rybakina second because tournament points are being recalculated during the US Open.

The points available during the tournament create a clear route for Rybakina. She would become No. 1 without winning a match if Sabalenka, Pegula and Gauff all fail to win the title. Reaching the semifinals would guarantee her the ranking regardless of the other results. Sabalenka must win the tournament and hope Rybakina loses before the semifinals to stay on top.

I don’t check the ranking exactly, the point situation. The most important [thing is to] try to stay healthy, play match at a time.

— Elena RybakinaRybakina described her approach to the ranking race after recovering from an ankle injury.

Rybakina said she was avoiding the ranking calculations after retiring from her Cincinnati quarterfinal against Iga Swiatek on Aug. 20 with an ankle injury. “I don’t check the ranking exactly, the point situation. The most important [thing is to] try to stay healthy, play match at a time,” she said. She has returned to training and is scheduled to play 17-year-old American Thea Frodin in the first round.

The possible breakthrough has added attention to Kazakhstan’s expanding tennis system. Kazakhstan Tennis Federation executive director Dave Miley said tennis centers, tournaments and junior programs had made the sport more accessible beyond Almaty. “Rybakina and Bublik have been very important for Kazakh tennis,” he said, adding that leading players spend time with juniors during Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup events. The US Open runs through Sept. 13 in New York.

Rybakina and Bublik have been very important for Kazakh tennis.

— Dave MileyThe Kazakhstan Tennis Federation executive director discussed the players’ role in the country’s tennis development.
About this summary

Originally published by The Astana Times. Summarized and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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