Elena Rybakina delivered one of the most complete performances of this year’s US Open, overwhelming an injury-hampered Naomi Osaka 6-1, 6-4 in just over an hour to reach the quarterfinals for the first time in her career. Veteran journalist Christopher Clarey pointed to more than just Rybakina’s brilliance in explaining the result. 

“Osaka looked hampered by pain in the area of her left achilles,” he wrote, “but Rybakina’s ball striking was on another level, creating gap after gap to exploit.”

Commentators during the match also noted that Osaka rarely made Rybakina move around the court, giving the Kazakh the stability to tee off on her groundstrokes without having to work out of position.

The second seed comfortably sealed two breaks along with her dominant serve to race through the first set 6-1. Osaka had more success in the second as she worked through her service games, while Rybakina was uninterrupted. The set was level until 3-3, but then Osaka committed two back-to-back double faults and handed Kazak the crucial break, going 4-3 up. 

Osaka relentlessly targeted Rybakina’s forehand, often considered the weaker wing of the Kazakh, but Rybakina turned that into a weapon in this match, striking more than 15 winners on that front alone, out-hitting Osaka’s total of nine winners. As usual, the world No. 2 kept her first-serve winning percentage high, enviable at 87 percent throughout the match. 

The 13th seed saved two match points serving at 3-5, 15-40, before Rybakina closed it out with a hold to 40-0 and a clean ace, one Osaka applauded even in defeat.

“I honestly didn’t expect this,” Rybakina said afterward in the on-court interview. “I played really well today. Feeling the ball was really good from my side. I was a bit lucky in some moments, catching some lines, but yeah, I’m super happy with the performance. Naomi is a tough opponent, I knew that no matter the score I needed to focus on each ball because everything could change quickly. She’s also an aggressive player, so I’m very glad the way I played today.”

The world No. 1 ranking closer than ever

The win puts the world No. 1 ranking directly in Elena Rybakina’s hands. If she makes it to the semifinals, the top spot will be confirmed, and she will officially see the number “1” next to her name when the WTA rankings update on Monday. 

“Of course I want it,” Rybakina said. “Who wouldn’t wish this? Yeah, definitely, that’s one of my goals. I try to approach the next match the same way, try to do everything I can, fight until the end. If I serve well, as I did today, I think I have all the chances. So yeah, I’m gonna try my best, and hopefully it’s going to go my way.” 

The player standing between that dream is the comeback queen Zheng Qinwen in the quarterfinals, who upset Iga Swiatek earlier the same day inside Arthur Ashe Stadium. Rybakina holds a 4-1 head-to-head edge over the Chinese player, with their only meeting at a Grand Slam coming en route to Rybakina’s Wimbledon title in 2022.