Aryna Sabalenka realised she was probably going to lose the No. 1 ranking to Elena Rybakina. There wasn’t much she could do about that.

The U.S. Open trophy is a different story.

Rybakina can only take that away from Sabalenka by winning it on the court on Saturday (September 12, 2026), and the two-time defending champion showed in an overpowering display in the semifinals how serious she is about a three-peat — which would be the first at Flushing Meadows since Serena Williams from 2012-14.

“I wanted badly to go to the finals, and of course I want to go all the way,” Sabalenka said.

Rybakina set up a matchup between the top two players in women’s tennis by rallying past Coco Gauff 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. Sabalenka beat Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2 in the first semifinal, running away with the second set after they played largely even in the first.

Sabalenka is currently No. 1 and Rybakina No. 2 in the WTA rankings, but that changes Monday (September 14) after Sabalenka held the top spot for 99 consecutive weeks.

Rybakina won the Australian Open to start the season, beating Sabalenka, and the four-time Grand Slam champion had a poor summer by her standards to allow Rybakina to keep closing.

Rybakina needed only to reach the semifinals in New York to clinch the No. 1 ranking.

“It’s a lot of work, and yeah, that was one of my goals, but right now not much I could do. I didn’t really perform well in the middle of the season,” Sabalenka said. “Elena took it over and played really well, and she took away No. 1 position.” The second semifinal was more a battle, with Gauff trying to fight from behind in the final two sets, but Rybakina not letting her come all the way back.

Gauff jumped on Rybakina with a strong start — she had four aces to one for Rybakina, who leads the WTA Tour in that category — in a first set that she took in 38 minutes.

“Took a deep breath, was trying to talk positive with myself and just told myself that I need to fight and try to show good tennis,” Rybakina said.

Gauff trailed 4-1 in the second set and battled back to 4-all before Rybakina won the next two games. Rybakina went ahead 5-3 and served for the match, but Gauff broke to give herself one more chance while being cheered by a crowd that included former first lady Michelle Obama.

Gauff won her first major title as a teenager when she rallied past Sabalenka in the 2023 U.S. Open final, but nobody has been able to knock off the Belarussian in Flushing Meadows since. Pegula put up a good fight in the 2024 final and last year’s semifinals, but she couldn’t keep it close the way Sabalenka played Thursday – and wasn’t sure anybody else would’ve, either.

“I think that’s definitely — you can ask her — probably the best match she’s played this year,” Pegula said. “I mean, I thought her level was insanely high.” Sabalenka pounded 29 winners to Pegula’s 12. She has won 19 straight matches at the U.S. Open since losing to Gauff in the 2023 final.

The top four seeds made it to the women’s semifinals at the U.S. Open for the first time since 1975. Sabalenka, Rybakina and Gauff have all won multiple major titles, while Pegula is still looking for her first.

Sabalenka won 14 of 19 points on Pegula’s second serve, smashing balls back more quickly than they were coming at her.

Still, Pegula hung with her for a while.

It was already 4-all in 25 minutes and Sabalenka appeared to be getting frustrated with not getting anywhere on Pegula’s serve, waving at her coaches’ box in disgust after one miss. Pegula had won 18 of 20 points on her first serve when she stepped to the line serving with Sabalenka leading 6-5.

Then Sabalenka suddenly hit a backhand winner, Pegula sent a forehand long and Sabalenka hit another winner to set up a set point, and finished off the set a couple points later.

Naomi Osaka is joy unbound after eliminating top seed Aryna Sabalenka to make her maiden quarterfinals at Wimbledon on Sunday.
| Photo Credit:
Reuters

Late in their careers, legends are masters at rationing excellence. It is an act of self-preservation, for trying to radiate class for sustained periods can often be energy sapping. Instead, they choose to remain steady, hang in there when needed, and go for the kill in short bursts.

On a hot Sunday afternoon at Centre Court here, Novak Djokovic did exactly this to quell the challenge from Roman Safiullin 7-6(6), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

It was a record 106th match-win for the 39-year-old Serb at Wimbledon as he went past Roger Federer, and it propelled him into his ninth straight singles quarterfinal at the All England Club.

Good going

At the start, it was Safiullin, with his ruffled look, loose-fitting T-shirt and expansive style, who was better. He ran up a 5-2 lead as Djokovic struggled with his depth and appeared troubled by the sun directly hitting his eyes while serving.

Safiullin also had significant momentum coming into the match. Grass is one surface where the value of early round results compounds. The Russian had started in the qualifying, beaten the 12th seed Andrey Rublev in the opening round and then ousted rising star Joao Fonseca in the third.

Six matches are generally good enough to get a feel for the lawns and find your footing on the slippery turf, and Safiullin, whose best result at a Major is also at Wimbledon (quarterfinals in 2023), seemed at ease.

Champion stuff

But not for nothing is Djokovic a seven-time titlist at SW19, and he showed this in the eighth game of the first set by erasing two set-points with a service winner and an inch-perfect ace.

The value of this hold was fully realised in the subsequent game when he broke the Safiullin serve after recalibrating his power and range. The set was secured in the tie-break for the loss of six points.

In the second stanza, Djokovic, again, chose his moments wisely. He broke in the sixth game after earning a break-point with a searing forehand winner, and then executed two first-rate serve-and-volley points at 5-3, 30-30.

In the third set, however, the 24-time Slam champion’s level dropped. After an early trade of breaks, he fought hard in the sixth game to deny Safiullin five chances to go 4-2 up by coming up with aces, on-the-run passes, lobs and volleys. The pressure, though, eventually told, as the World No. 132 took it on the sixth opportunity, and held on to 6-3.

But the 28-year-old’s honeymoon ended there as Djokovic stepped it up a notch to zoom 3-0 ahead in the fourth set. Safiullin wilted, and the stunning low volley on match-point summed up Djokovic’s overall superiority. “I don’t get to feel inferior from the back of the court often, but I did today,” Djokovic said later.

“I didn’t want to stay in the rallies [for long]. I had to change things up, and my accuracy and precision with the first serves got me out of trouble.”

“Survive to thrive” was his mantra, the Serb added. And he did that to a T.

Later, Naomi Osaka, in contrast, only thrived as she reached her first Wimbledon quarterfinal with a 6-2, 7-6(2) over World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

It snapped the Belarusian’s 14 straight quarterfinal or better performances and 20 consecutive tie-break wins at Majors, and was her first straight-sets loss at a Slam since US Open 2020.

Women’s top seed Aryna ​Sabalenka began her latest attempt to ‌claim her first Wimbledon ​crown with a routine ⁠6-2 6-3 defeat of Serbian qualifier Teodora Kostovic on Monday (June 29, 2026).

Still smarting ‌from an unsettling French Open exit, the world ‌number one was laser-focused ‌on ⁠Centre Court as she ⁠won the opening four games against the lowly ranked Kostovic.

She was eventually ​made to work ‌and there was a minor blip when she dropped serve at 5-2 in the ‌second set but it ​was only a temporary delay as she avoided any ⁠possibility of the sort of collapse she suffered in Paris ‌against Diana Shnaider.

“I’m super excited to be back,” she told a crowd that included former England soccer captain David Beckham.

“I was happy ‌I could close this match in ​straight sets. For the first match I feel pretty ⁠good, maybe eight out of ⁠10.”

Sabalenka, a losing semi-finalist on her last three ‌visits to Wimbledon, will take on American McCartney Kessler ​next.

Four-time Grand Slam champions Aryna Sabalenka and Naomi Osaka will go head-to-head in the first French Open women’s night match in three years on Monday (June 1, 2026), as a host of men’s players eye a maiden major quarterfinal.

World number one Sabalenka will likely face a stern test in her bid to win a maiden Roland Garros crown after suffering an agonising loss to Coco Gauff in last year’s final.

A resurgent Osaka has powered into the French Open last 16 for the first time in her career, looking more at home then ever before on the Parisian clay.

It will be only the fourth meeting, all at the last-16 stage of tournaments, between two of the biggest stars in the sport.

Osaka edged their first encounter en route to the 2018 US Open title and then they never met again until this year.

Sabalenka saw off her Japanese opponent in straight sets in Indian Wells, before fighting back from a set down to win at the Madrid Open.

They renew their rivalry with a quarter-final against either former Australian Open champion Madison Keys or Russia’s Diana Shnaider up for grabs.

“It’s great, great to see her back on her level. Maybe not at her best level, but she’s back, she’s fighting, she’s building her level,” said Sabalenka of Osaka, who took a break from tennis in 2023 to give birth to her daughter.

“It’s nice to see her. She’s a great player, great person. I feel like I really enjoy our battles. It’s high-level matches, and I really enjoy when somebody pushes me to the limit.”

Osaka struggled initially for form after rejoining the tour, but reached the US Open semi-finals last year, the first time she had made the second week of a Grand Slam event since winning her second Australian Open title in 2021.

“I really wanted to make it a goal to do really well on clay and grass,” said Osaka, who has never got past the third round at Wimbledon.

“I don’t want this to be my last round. I want to keep going. I just want to keep focusing on every match.”

Osaka has been wearing a sequined, gold dress in Paris, which she likened to the Eiffel Tower at night, but has said she may switch things up for the night session.

The last remaining French player Diane Parry will be hoping to emulate last year’s surprise semi-finalist Lois Boisson and continue her dream run, going up against Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska.

Austrian 28th seed Anastasia Potapova looks to back up her win over defending champion Coco Gauff when she faces Anna Kalinskaya.

Wide-open men’s draw

World number six Felix Auger-Aliassime is the highest-ranked player left in the top half of the men’s draw after the shock exit of Jannik Sinner and an early defeat for Ben Shelton.

The Canadian will bid to reach his first French Open quarter-final when he plays Chilean Alejandro Tabilo, in the last 16 of a Slam event for the first time.

World number 85 Zachary Svajda had only won two Grand Slam matches before this tournament, but even he took notice of Sinner’s loss.

“When I saw Sinner was out, I try to stay present and stay positive and just take it day by day, match by match,” said the American, who takes on Italian 10th seed Flavio Cobolli.

“I knew the draw was open, but I just tried to keep doing my routines, keep doing what I’ve been doing, and just see what happens.”

Former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini targets his first Slam quarter-final since 2022 when he goes up against Sinner’s conqueror Juan Manuel Cerundolo on Court Suzanne Lenglen.

Frances Tiafoe, who lost to Lorenzo Musetti in the last eight 12 months ago, plays another Italian in Matteo Arnaldi.

Aryna Sabalenka cut through the French ​Open chaos as the world number ‌one beat Australia’s Daria Kasatkina 6-0 ​7-5 on Saturday (May 30, 2026) to ⁠seal her place in the fourth round after seismic upsets in the previous two ‌days at Roland Garros.

With top seed Jannik Sinner and ‌24-times Grand Slam winner Novak ‌Djokovic ⁠exiting in the last 48 ⁠hours, Sabalenka restored order with a commanding display to book a tantalising meeting with ​Japan’s Naomi Osaka.

Sabalenka ‌wasted little time to get going on a sun-drenched Court Suzanne Lenglen, winning the opening five games ‌with a mix of power ​from the baseline and precision at the net, before she ⁠fought from 15-40 down in the next to secure a bagel.

Russian-born Kasatkina, ‌who began representing her adopted country last year, broke and held against the run of play in the second set to draw chants of “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie” and those ‌voices soon became a lot quieter.

An unforced ​error from Kasatkina allowed Sabalenka to draw level at 2-2, ⁠and the four-times Grand Slam champion ⁠stayed in touch before dialling up the intensity late on ‌to complete her eighth victory in 10 meetings between the pair.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) said Friday that the IOC’s move to lift restrictions on Belarusian athletes does not affect Belarus’s continued ban from the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup.

In a statement sent to AFP, world tennis’s governing body said its stance remained unchanged despite the International Olympic Committee’s decision to lift its ban on Belarus.

“The International Tennis Federation confirms that the IOC’s announcement does not change its existing position regarding the Belarus and Russian Tennis Federations’ suspensions, which remain in place,” the ITF wrote.

Athletes from Russia and its ally Belarus had been banned from international competition following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, although some were permitted to compete as neutrals.

Restrictions on Russian athletes remain in place under IOC rules.

The ITF said its position on Belarus would be reviewed later in the year.

“The membership status of the Belarus Tennis Federation will be considered at the ITF Annual General Meeting in October by the ITF’s voting member nations in accordance with ITF constitutional process,” the organisation said.

The ITF oversees major international team competitions such as the Davis Cup and the BJK Cup. It also organises Olympic tennis events in conjunction with the IOC.

The participation of Russian and Belarusian players on the professional tour depends on decisions taken separately by the ATP, the WTA and the organisers of the four Grand Slam tournaments.

World number one Aryna Sabalenka on Thursday said she hoped she would be able to play tennis again under the Belarusian flag.

“For me representing such a small country, and the hard work that I had to do to get to the top, it’s just like, guys, it’s incredible, it’s a small country, and to make it all the way here, it means a lot to me,” said Sabalenka.

“I would be super proud to represent Belarus.”

Players would boycott the French ‌Open if their prize money at the claycourt Grand Slam is not increased, women’s ​world number one Aryna Sabalenka said on Tuesday, with Coco Gauff also voicing ⁠support for the drastic step.

The threat deepens a dispute between players and Roland Garros organisers over prize money distribution, even though this year’s tournament offers a 9.5% increase to 61.7 million euros ($72.19 million).

Several top players released a statement ‌on Monday saying they were set to receive prize money that would likely still be less than 15% of tournament revenue, well short of the 22% they demanded ‌to match ATP and WTA combined 1000 events.

When asked how far players might push their ‌demands, ⁠Sabalenka told reporters at the Italian Open: “I think at some point we will boycott ⁠it (the tournament), yeah. I feel like that’s going to be the only way to fight for our rights.

“Let’s see how far we can get, if it’s going to take players for boycott… Some of the things, I feel like it’s really ​unfair to the players. I think at ‌some point it’s going to get to this.”

However, the world number one struck a hopeful note about ongoing negotiations.

“I just really hope that all of the negotiation that we are having, we at some point are going to get to the right decision, to the conclusion that ‌everyone will be happy with,” she added.

Reuters has contacted the French Tennis Federation for comment.

The ​prize money boost of 5.4 million euros compared to 2025 still leaves Roland Garros trailing its Grand Slam rivals.

The U.S. Open offered $90 million last year while Wimbledon ⁠paid out 53.5 million pounds ($72.51 million) and the Australian Open a record A$111.5 million ($80.06 million) this year.

Gauff says players must form union

World number four Gauff said she could “100% see” players boycotting a Grand Slam ‌if they took the decision together as one.

“It’s not about me. It’s about the future of our sport and also the current players who aren’t getting as much benefits, maybe, as even some of the top players are getting when it comes to sponsorship and things like that,” Gauff said.

“We’re making money off court. When you look at the (players ranked) 50 to 100, 50 to 200, how much money each Slam makes, it’s kind of unfortunate where the 200 best tennis players are living ‌paycheck to paycheck.”

Gauff also suggested the players must form a union, highlighting how the WNBA basketball players’ union reached a ​tentative agreement on a collective bargaining deal earlier this year after nearly 17 months of negotiations.

“Just taking what the WNBA accomplished. They also have a union, so I ⁠think that helps,” she added.

“From the things I’ve seen with other sports, usually to make massive progress ⁠and things like this, it takes a union.”

Sabalenka said the players deserved more prize money.

“When you see the number and you see the amount the players are receiving… I feel ‌like the show is on us. I feel like without us there wouldn’t be a tournament and there wouldn’t be that entertainment,” Sabalenka added.

“I feel like definitely we deserve to be ​paid more percentage. What can I say?”