Following Aryna Sabalenka's shocking defeat at the Cincinnati tournament, it has emerged that Elena Rybakina needs just two more wins to become the world's top-ranked player, according to infohub.kz.
At the prestigious WTA 1000 event in Cincinnati, Czech player Sara Bejlek scored a sensational victory over current world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, 7-6 (9-7), 6-4, in 1 hour and 57 minutes. Sabalenka's loss means that Rybakina, who had already advanced to the quarterfinals, is now just two wins away from claiming the top ranking for the first time in her career. If Rybakina reaches the final in Cincinnati, she will overtake the Belarusian by one point in the rankings; if she wins the title, she will lead by 351 points.
Thus, Rybakina is just two victories from becoming the first Kazakhstani to hold the world No. 1 spot in women's singles. In the quarterfinals, she will face one of the strongest players on tour, Iga Swiatek of Poland, to whom she recently lost in the final of the Toronto tournament.