Sabalenka to number one in the world after the US Open
* Sabalenka - Zheng Qinwen: 23h on September 6, Hanoi time.
Sabalenka needs to achieve the same or better performance than Iga Swiatek at the US Open, to take the world number one position from her Polish opponent. With Swiatek becoming a former champion after losing to Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 3-6, 1-6 in the fourth round, Sabalenka reached the top of the world scoreboard for the first time.
"This is a great achievement," the 25-year-old Belarusian player said after reaching the top of the WTA for the first time. "It's nice to be told that I'm number one in the world. But that doesn't change much. I still have to play the best tennis. Even opponents will play more determined against you."
Sabalenka also shared that she received many congratulations from her colleagues, including Novak Djokovic - who also rose to number one on the ATP scoreboard after the tournament. "Smile if you soon become number one in the world," Nole told Sabalenka.
Since Ashleigh Barty's retirement, Swiatek has occupied the number one spot on the women's singles scorecard since April last year. The Polish player stayed in this position for 75 consecutive weeks, before losing the top of the table to Sabalenka next week. During the period of holding the number one position in the world, Swiatek once had a 37-match winning streak - the longest in the 21st century in women's tennis.
"It's great to be number one, but on the other hand, I feel tired," Swiatek said after losing to Ostapenko in the fourth round - a match that cost her the top of the WTA table. "I still need to do what great players like Roger, Novak or Rafa always say. You need to focus on the big tournaments, not the rankings. Of course, when I lost the number one position, I I can't help but feel sad. I want to prolong my time at the top a little longer."
Swiatek also shared that she was proud to become the first Polish person to reach number one in the world. The loss to Ostapenko was considered "strange" by her, and it will make Swiatek work harder in the future.
Swiatek has won four Grand Slams in her career, including last year's US Open championship and this year's Roland Garros championship. Sabalenka won the Australian Open earlier this year.
In the US Open women's singles, the first two semi-final tickets belonged to Coco Gauff and Karolina Muchova. Sabalenka will compete for the semi-finals with Chinese opponent Zheng Qinwen at 11pm today, September 6, Hanoi time. The remaining quarterfinal match is a duel between Wimbledon defending champion Marketa Vondrousova and home player Madison Keys.
