Elena Rybakina’s Road to World No. 1: The Wimbledon Champion Who Received Zero Points

Elena Rybakina’s World No. 1 journey did not begin with the victory that finally carried her to the top of women’s tennis. It began years earlier, when a talented young player needed someone to believe that her potential was worth supporting.

Now, after defeating Zheng Qinwen 3–6, 6–1, 6–4 in the 2026 US Open quarterfinals, Rybakina has secured the No. 1 ranking for the first time. When the rankings are officially updated after the tournament on Monday, September 14, she will become the 30th woman in WTA history—and the first player representing Kazakhstan—to occupy the top position.

It is a historic destination reached by one of the least straightforward routes.

The Country That Gave Elena Rybakina a Chance

Born in Moscow, Rybakina began playing tennis when she was six. By her late teens, however, talent alone was not enough. Developing a professional career required financial support, coaching and access to international competition.

In 2018, the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation offered her the backing she needed. Rybakina changed sporting nationality and began representing Kazakhstan, a decision that gave her career room to grow.

Four years later, the partnership produced a moment neither player nor country had experienced before.

Wimbledon Glory—with Zero Ranking Points

At Wimbledon in 2022, the 23-year-old Rybakina arrived ranked No. 23 and carrying odds of roughly 100–1 to win the title. She reached the final and recovered from losing the opening set to defeat Ons Jabeur 3–6, 6–2, 6–2.

Rybakina became Kazakhstan’s first Grand Slam singles champion.

Normally, a Wimbledon champion receives 2,000 ranking points—enough to transform a player’s position and accelerate her climb towards the top. But no ranking points were awarded at Wimbledon that year.

The WTA and ATP had removed them after the tournament barred Russian and Belarusian players from competing following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The tours argued that players should not be excluded solely because of nationality.

Rybakina therefore left Wimbledon with its greatest trophy, but none of the 2,000 points usually awarded to the champion. She remained No. 23 in the next published rankings.

The title proved what she could do. The ranking could not yet reflect it.

Proving Wimbledon Was Not an Exception

The following season, Rybakina reached the 2023 Australian Open final. She won the first set against Aryna Sabalenka before losing a powerful three-set contest.

That defeat still answered an important question. Wimbledon had not been an isolated two weeks. Rybakina belonged among the sport’s leading contenders.

She continued collecting major results, including WTA 1000 titles at Indian Wells and Rome. Her serve became one of the most dangerous weapons on the women’s tour, but her game was more than a collection of aces. The calm first strike, flat groundstrokes and ability to shorten points made her dangerous on every surface.

Her progress, however, did not follow a clean upward line.

Illnesses, physical problems and withdrawals repeatedly interrupted her momentum. By July 2025, she had fallen outside the Top 10 and reached No. 13. For a player who had already won Wimbledon and contested another major final, the summit appeared farther away than it had been in years.

Elena Rybakina’s World No. 1 Journey Turned in Late 2025

Rybakina did not respond with a dramatic announcement. Her recovery arrived in the same way she plays: quietly, patiently and with accumulating force.

She won the Ningbo title and entered the final qualifying week for the 2025 WTA Finals still needing a deep run in Tokyo. She reached the required semifinal and claimed the last available place in Riyadh.

Then the final qualifier became the undefeated champion.

Rybakina won all five of her matches at the WTA Finals, defeating Jessica Pegula in the semifinal and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6–3, 7–6(0) in the championship match. The victory earned her the Billie Jean King Trophy and a record $5.235 million payout.

More importantly, it restored the momentum that injuries and interrupted seasons had repeatedly taken away.

Melbourne Turned an Old Defeat into a New Triumph

At the 2026 Australian Open, Rybakina again met Sabalenka in the final—the same opponent who had denied her the trophy three years earlier.

This time, Rybakina completed the story differently.

After falling 3–0 behind in the deciding set, she rallied to win her second Grand Slam title. The player who had once watched the Australian Open final slip away had returned to claim it against the same rival.

She followed that victory with another title in Stuttgart, finished runner-up at Indian Wells and Toronto, and reached the Miami semifinals. Point by point and tournament by tournament, the No. 1 ranking moved within reach.

Even then, the final approach was not comfortable. Rybakina retired injured during the Cincinnati quarterfinals and arrived at the US Open under an injury cloud, with limited preparation and uncertainty surrounding her condition.

She kept advancing anyway.

The Victory That Secured No. 1

Rybakina entered her US Open quarterfinal against Zheng knowing that one more victory would guarantee the top ranking.

Zheng took the first set 6–3, forcing Rybakina to fight both her opponent and the weight of the moment. Rybakina responded by dominating the second set 6–1, then completed the comeback 6–4 in the third.

The victory sent her into her first US Open semifinal and ensured that she will overtake Aryna Sabalenka when the official rankings are released after the tournament.

“Becoming the WTA World No. 1 is something I’ve dreamed about since I was a young girl,” Rybakina said in the WTA announcement. “I’m so proud of this moment.”

She will be the first man or woman representing Kazakhstan to reach No. 1.

The Quietest Player Reaches Tennis’s Loudest Position

Rybakina’s celebrations have always been restrained. A small fist pump can follow a career-changing victory. Her expression often reveals little about whether she has just struck an ace or lost a difficult point.

That composure can disguise how demanding her journey has been.

She needed a new country to provide the support her young career lacked. She won Wimbledon without receiving a single ranking point. Illnesses and injuries disrupted promising stretches. She fell outside the Top 10, fought for the final place at the WTA Finals and arrived in New York carrying another physical concern.

None of those difficulties made her ascent inevitable. That is precisely why reaching No. 1 matters.

Wimbledon gave Rybakina the trophy but no points. The difficult seasons took away rhythm and opportunity. Her rivals repeatedly tested whether she could return stronger.

She answered over time—not with noise, but with results.

Elena Rybakina has finally reached the highest position in women’s tennis. The quietest player in the room now owns the loudest ranking in the sport.

Her US Open campaign is not finished. Next comes a semifinal against Coco Gauff—and the opportunity to make her first tournament as the incoming world No. 1 even more memorable.

Rybakina Claims No. 1 as Gauff Saves Match Points

Elena Rybakina’s Road to World No. 1: The Wimbledon Champion Who Received Zero Points

The Country That Gave Elena Rybakina a Chance

Wimbledon Glory—with Zero Ranking Points

Proving Wimbledon Was Not an Exception

Elena Rybakina’s World No. 1 Journey Turned in Late 2025

Melbourne Turned an Old Defeat into a New Triumph

The Victory That Secured No. 1

The Quietest Player Reaches Tennis’s Loudest Position

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