US Open 2026: Elena Rybakina powers past Naomi Osaka to reach quarter-finals, one win away from becoming World No 1

US Open 2026: Elena Rybakina continued her push for a third Grand Slam title by defeating former US Open champion Naomi Osaka 6-1, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows in New York on Monday.

The second-seeded Kazakh, who won Wimbledon in 2022 and the Australian Open earlier this year, will face Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng in the last eight.

Rybakina is also one victory away from becoming the world number one for the first time. She will move to the top of the WTA rankings by reaching the semi-finals in New York.

She said that she is eyeing the milestone, but added that she is first focused on the match against Zheng.

"Of course I want it. I don't know anyone who wouldn't wish for it. It's definitely one of my goals," Rybakina said during her on-court interview after her win over Osaka.

“I'll try to approach the match the same way and try to do everything I can. Fight till the end in my next match. Let's see what's going to happen. If I serve as well as I did today, I think I have all the chances. I'll try my best. Hopefully it's going to go my way,” she explained.

The 27-year-old made a commanding start against Osaka, wrapping up the opening set in just 22 minutes. She converted two of her three break-point opportunities before closing out the set with a powerful serve.

The Kazakh admitted that she had not expected the match to go quite so smoothly.

"I didn't expect that. I thought I played really well, I was feeling the ball well," she said.

"Naomi's a tough opponent. I knew that, no matter the score, I needed to focus on each ball as everything can change quickly. She's a very aggressive player, so I'm so glad about the way I played today,” she added.

Elena Rybakina keeps Naomi Osaka at bay

Osaka, the 13th seed and a two-time US Open champion, offered greater resistance at the beginning of the second set, but Rybakina continued to control the rallies with her deep groundstrokes.

The Japanese player appeared to be struggling with a leg problem at 2-2 in the second set. Osaka had already been dealing with an Achilles issue that had flared up during her third-round victory.

She managed to save a break point and remain level, but Rybakina continued to apply pressure.

The decisive break came in the seventh game when Osaka sent a forehand into the net. Rybakina then served out the match, completing the victory in 66 minutes.

Rybakina hit 29 winners and seven aces during the contest, while Osaka managed nine winners. The victory also gave Rybakina her first US Open quarter-final appearance, completing her set of reaching the last eight at all four Grand Slam tournaments.

Qinwen Zheng awaits Elena Rybakina

Rybakina will now meet Zheng, who reached the quarter-finals after defeating former US Open champion Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-3.

Zheng has produced remarkable comebacks in her last two matches. She recovered from 5-0 down in the deciding set against Madison Keys before coming from the same deficit in the opening set against Swiatek.

The Chinese player also came through qualifying to reach the main draw and has now advanced to the US Open quarter-finals for the third time.