US Open quarterfinal live updates: Khachanov advances as Blockx retires, Gauff rallies into semis

NEW YORK — After nearly 100 weeks, there will be a new No. 1 in women’s tennis.

Elena Rybakina, the No. 2 seed, is in the US Open semifinals after beating Qinwen Zheng 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in the quarterfinals at Arthur Ashe Stadium and, in the process, snatched the top ranking from two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka. She is the 30th woman to become ranked world No.1 in singles since the WTA rankings began in 1975.

Rybakina will next face Coco Gauff, who beat No. 5 seed Mirra Andreeva, in the semifinals and will hold on to the top ranking no matter what happens in the rest of the tournament. The 27-year-old from Kazakhstan had a chance to reach the summit in Cincinnati had she won that tournament, but she was injured in a quarterfinal match against Iga Swiatek and had to retire.

Zheng, the 2024 gold medalist at the Paris Olympics, got off to a much better start than her previous two matches, where she found herself down 0-5 in both games, not only to come back and win those sets, but to win the game.

After the first seven games, she was leading 4-3, as both players were…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/sports/