Elena Rybakina tops Naomi Osaka, sets up US Open quarter-final clash with Zheng Qinwen
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Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina returns a shot against Japan’s Naomi Osaka during their women’s singles fourth round match at the 2026 US Open on Sept 7.
PHOTO: AFP
NEW YORK – World No. 2 Elena Rybakina swept past four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka 6-1, 6-4 on Sept 7 to line up a US Open quarter-final against China’s Zheng Qinwen.
Kazakhstan’s Rybakina, who added the French Open title to her 2022 Wimbledon crown this season, is into the US Open last eight for the first time in her career.
The meeting with 2024 Olympic gold medallist Zheng will carry extra weight. If Rybakina reaches the semi-finals, she is assured of supplanting Aryna Sabalenka atop the world rankings, even if the Belarusian wins her third straight US Open title.
“Of course I want it,” Rybakina said. “I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t wish this.”
But, she added: “I try to approach it the same, fight to the end of my next match – let’s see what will happen.”
Rybakina needed just 66 minutes to get past Osaka, firing 29 winners and saving the only break point she faced.
Osaka fought off a pair of match points in the penultimate game, but ultimately, the unforced errors that have plagued her all tournament proved too much to overcome.
Chinese qualifier Zheng produced another spectacular fightback to upset six-time Major winner Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-3 earlier in the day, recovering from 0-5 down in the opening set to reach the quarter-finals.
Zheng Qinwen celebrating after defeating Iga Swiatek at the US Open round-of-16 in New York on Sept 7.
PHOTO: REUTERS
The world No. 121 battled her way through the qualifiers amid a career slump and has recaptured her top form in New York, getting the best of an opponent who had led 7-1 in their head-to-head before Sept 7.
“I have to say I started the match not so well, and after little by little, I found my rhythm,” said Zheng, whose chronic right elbow injury stunted her career and forced her to undergo surgery in 2025. “I just focused point by point, and little by little I started to play better tennis.”
Zheng appears to do her best work with her back against the wall, recovering from five games to love in the deciding set of her third-round match this week, and she found the magic again at Arthur Ashe Stadium, saving three set points to the increasing frustration of the 2022 champion Swiatek.
Swiatek took a medical timeout after the third game of the second set, having a physio massage her left thigh, but did not appear to struggle as she returned to the court.
Zheng broke her opponent with a backhand winner down the line in the seventh game and broke again on the fourth match point, leaving Swiatek in tears again two years after she stunningly beat the Pole in the Olympic semi-finals.
In another clash, Coco Gauff beat rising US star Iva Jovic to reach the quarter-finals of the US Open for the first time since winning the title three years ago.
Gauff, seeded fourth this time, beat the 14th-seeded Jovic 6-1, 6-4 in 80 minutes.
In the men’s draw, Alexander Zverev put a slow start to his campaign further behind him as the top-seeded German defeated Italian Luciano Darderi 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (7-3) and moved into the quarter-finals.
Playing his fourth straight night-session match and having endured two five-setters along the way, the 29-year-old was in no mood to hang around, and powered through the first set after absorbing some late pressure on his otherwise solid serve.
After a misplaced drop shot from 21st seed Darderi gifted Zverev a second break in the next set, the French Open champion took full advantage to rack up a 4-0 lead that provided the perfect platform to double his advantage in the match.
Zverev suddenly lost momentum and was tested a lot more in the third set by Darderi’s powerful first serve and drop shots, but he regrouped later on to prevail and become the only man to reach the quarter-finals at all four Grand Slams this season.
He will take on Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp for a place in the semi-finals.
Van de Zandschulp defeated France’s Arthur Gea 3-6, 6-7 (0-7), 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (7-3), 6-4, while American Learner Tien lost to Russian Karen Khachanov 7-5, 4-6, 6-7 (6-8), 6-1, 6-4.
Belgium’s Alexander Blockx continued his breakout run, dispatching Argentinian 24th seed Francisco Cerundolo 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 to reach his first Grand Slam quarter-final. REUTERS
