Aryna Sabalenka has lost her status as women’s world No1 after major rival Elena Rybakina booked her spot in the US Open semi-finals by defeating Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen. The Belarusian had spent 99 consecutive weeks at the summit of the women’s game and 106 weeks in total, but knew her position was dangerously under threat heading into the tournament in New York. To keep hold of her position, Sabalenka would have had to defend all of her ranking points won at Flushing Meadows as the reigning champion, and seen Rybakina go out to Zheng. Having only reached the fourth round last year, Rybakina had fewer points to defend, combined with a consistent year that has seen the Kazakh star win the Australian Open in January. Rybakina has never before been world No1, and admitted that it was ‘tough to find words’ after reaching the milestone. ‘It’s been a very difficult match, with a lot of nerves, and it wasn’t maybe the highest level,’ she told on-court interviewer Andrea Petkovic, ‘I’m glad I pushed through. Elena Rybakina will start next week as the reigning world No1 for the first time in her career Aryna Sabalenka has spent 99 weeks as world No1 but still has the US Open trophy in sight’It’s been an early match, and in my head I was complaining about sun, shadow – it was definitely a battle inside me, and I’m glad I pushed all the negative thoughts away and I’m happy to be in the semi-finals here. ‘I didn’t start that well, and I was negative, and it wasn’t easy (transitioning from night to day matches), (but) I was just telling myself, keep on fighting, work on some things.’ On her ranking, she added: ‘it’s just a number right now, and of course I’m in the semis. My goal is to win the tournaments I play. ‘It’s an amazing achievement, but you know how quickly everything can change in ranking points, in matches. I just need to focus (on my next match).’ At the moment that Rybakina played her final point against Zheng to confirm that she would break new ground at the top of the sport, Sabalenka was on the practice court a stone’s throw away from the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center’s showcourt. Sabalenka paused her drills to wander over to a nearby television screen by the courts, to watch the final stages of the match. Had Rybakina fallen to Zheng, who has come through the tournament as a qualifier after tumbling down the rankings due to a spell sidelined by injury, Sabalenka might not have been the only one to benefit. Home favourites Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula could have also captured the No1 ranking, if either American was the one to lift the trophy after Saturday’s final. For Sabalenka, she will look ahead to the end of the year and the start of 2027, where Rybakina has a lot of points to defend as WTA Finals champion and the winner in Melbourne. But in the present, she admitted on Tuesday that she would gladly swap her ranking for the chance to pull off a ‘three-peat’ by winning in New York. ‘I’ll be more than happy,’ she grinned when asked if she would accept the hypothetical exchange. ‘Yes, three-peat. Sounds great.’