{"id":2111057,"date":"2026-08-25T16:00:53","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T13:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2111057"},"modified":"2026-08-25T16:00:53","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T13:00:53","slug":"how-elena-rybakina-can-become-the-world-no-1-at-the-us-open-without-even-playing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2111057","title":{"rendered":"How Elena Rybakina can become the world No 1 at the US Open without even playing"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"ps-article-content rounded-lg lg:mt-5 lg:border lg:border-card lg:bg-card lg:shadow-primary\">\n<header>\n<h1 class=\"py-4 text-xl font-normal text-title sm:text-2xl\">How Elena Rybakina can become the world No 1 at the US Open without even playing<\/h1>\n<div class=\"my-2 flex items-center justify-between\">\n<div class=\"flex items-center\">\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/author\/liam-mcmillen\" class=\"text-sm font-normal !text-author\"><br \/>\n                            Liam McMillen                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <time class=\"ml-3 text-sm font-normal text-info md:ml-4\" datetime=\"25 Aug 2026 5:00 PM\" data-ps-date=\"25 Aug 2026 5:00 PM\" data-ps-datetime=\"1787673653\"><br \/>\n                            25 Aug 2026 5:00 PM                        <\/time>\n                    <\/div>\n<div class=\"hidden justify-end space-x-4 text-xl sm:flex sm:!opacity-100\">\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=tennis365.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><br \/>\n                            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"mx-auto !my-0 hidden dark:block h-6\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/content\/themes\/tennis365-sportsui\/img\/png\/preferred_source_badge_dark.png\" alt=\"Add as a preferred source on Google\" width=\"76\" height=\"24\"><br \/>\n                            <img 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class=\"sm:hidden flex items-center space-x-5\">\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=tennis365.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><br \/>\n                            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"mx-auto !my-0 hidden dark:block h-6\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/content\/themes\/tennis365-sportsui\/img\/png\/preferred_source_badge_dark.png\" alt=\"Add as a preferred source on Google\" width=\"76\" height=\"24\"><br \/>\n                            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"mx-auto !my-0 dark:hidden h-6\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/content\/themes\/tennis365-sportsui\/img\/png\/preferred_source_badge_light.png\" alt=\"Add as a preferred source on Google\" width=\"76\" height=\"24\"><br \/>\n                        <\/a><br \/>\n                        <button id=\"t365-article-share-btn-hidden\" class=\"mr-2 hidden h-6 w-6 appearance-none border-none !text-share-icon outline-none hover:!text-share-icon-active sm:hidden\" data-title=\"How Elena Rybakina can become the world No 1 at the US Open without even playing\"><\/p>\n<p>                        <\/button>\n                    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"-mx-3 sm:-mx-5 border-b border-page\"><\/div>\n<section>\n<div class=\"-mx-3 sm:-mx-5\">\n<figure class=\"aspect-h-9 aspect-w-16 relative\">\n                                        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1320\" height=\"742\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"w-full h-full object-cover object-center !my-0\" src=\"https:\/\/d2me2qg8dfiw8u.cloudfront.net\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Elena-Rybakina-reacts-1320x742.jpg\" alt=\"Pictured: Elena Rybakina reacts during her match\">                <\/figure><figcaption class=\"flex items-center space-x-3 border-b border-mobile-caption px-3 lg:border-caption\">\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-1.5 break-words !text-xs !text-content\">\n                                Elena Rybakina reacts during her match                            <\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<div class=\"ciam-article-t365\"><!-- Article Start --><\/p>\n<p>There is a four-way race for the world No 1 spot on the WTA Tour at the US Open this year.<\/p>\n<p>Aryna Sabalenka, the current world No 1, is looking to fend off Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff, and Jessica Pegula at the Flushing Meadows tournament.<\/p>\n<p>Sabalenka has been the world No 1 for the past two seasons, but her ropey form over the 2026 season has seen her grip at the WTA Tour summit loosen.<\/p>\n<p>Rybakina will be the favourite to usurp Sabalenka and become world No 1, but Pegula and Gauff, fresh from their meeting in the Cincinnati Open final, both have an opportunity at the US Open.<\/p>\n<p>However, Rybakina could find herself at the top of the WTA Tour even if she withdraws from the Grand Slam.<\/p>\n<p>Sabalenka won the tournament last year, she is defending the full 2000 points at the Grand Slam and is severely under pressure.<\/p>\n<p>Gauff is defending fourth round points in New York, while Pegula reached the US Open semi finals in 2025.<\/p>\n<h2>The race for world No 1 at the US Open<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Aryna Sabalenka \u2013 8575<\/li>\n<li>Elena Rybakina \u2013 8141<\/li>\n<li>Jessica Pegula \u2013 7265<\/li>\n<li>Coco Gauff \u2013 6704<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>If none of Sabalenka, Gauff, or Pegula win the US Open title, Rybakina will become the world number one no matter that amount of points she picks up at the Grand Slam.<\/p>\n<p>Rybakina also reached the fourth round of the competition in 2025, but she currently sits nearly 1000 points above Pegula in third place on the WTA Tour.<\/p>\n<p>Gauff has put herself at least within a chance of becoming world No 1 thanks to her victory at the Cincinnati Open. The American collected the 1000 points for winning the Masters event, which has seen her rise to world No 4 again.<\/p>\n<h2>More Aryna Sabalenka news<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/us-open\/coco-gauff-iga-swiatek-picked-ahead-vulnerable-aryna-sabalenka-us-open-title\">Aryna Sabalenka \u2018vulnerable\u2019 at US Open \u2013 \u2018I would go with Iga Swiatek\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tennis365.com\/wta-tour\/2026-us-open-wide-open-aryna-sabalenka-competing-against-herself-serena-williams-former-coach\">Aryna Sabalenka \u2018on a slippery slope\u2019 as legendary coach reveals her biggest obstacle<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The one certainty, however, is that Sabalenka is increasingly under threat of losing her world No 1 status and she will play the US Open behind Rybakina in the rankings.<\/p>\n<p>Sabalenka will likely need to win the US Open this year in order to stay world No 1, but it is a Grand Slam where she often plays her best tennis.<\/p>\n<p>She won the tournament in 2024 and 2025 and you have to go back until the 2022 event for a time that she didn\u2019t reach the final of the Grand Slam.<\/p>\n<p>She\u2019s only failed to reach the semi finals or later of the US Open in one of the last six seasons, so Sabalenka will be hoping muscle memory kicks in at Flushing Meadows.<\/p>\n<p>Whatever happens, the US Open is set to be a tantalising watch at the very top of the WTA Tour and it could create some fascinating ranking scenarios.<\/p>\n<p><!-- Article End --><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How Elena Rybakina can become the world No 1 at the US Open without even playing Liam McMillen 25 Aug 2026 5:00 PM Elena Rybakina reacts during her match There is a four-way race for the world No 1 spot on the WTA Tour at the US Open this year. Aryna Sabalenka, the current world [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,249],"class_list":["post-2111057","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-tennis365-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2111057","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2111057"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2111057\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2111057"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2111057"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2111057"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}