Elena Rybakina is into the US Open semifinals after a 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 comeback against qualifier Qinwen Zheng in New York. The No. 2 seed flipped a tricky quarterfinal on Arthur Ashe Stadium by sharpening her return and tightening up key points. Zheng served brilliantly early, but Rybakina’s heavier baseline game and superior returning took over across sets two and three. There were no tiebreaks, just steady pressure that told at the right moments. Full point-by-point numbers are available on the Sofascore match page, with the tournament hub here for more on the US Open, Women.

Set-by-set: a slow start, then all business

Zheng came out fast and served with authority to take the opener 6-3. She landed 53% of first serves in the first set and won a huge 86% of those points, backing it up with 89% accuracy behind her second serve. The Chinese qualifier saved all five break points she faced in that set and even out-aced Rybakina 4-1. One break was enough because her hold games were clean and short. Rybakina’s return was not yet dialed in, and Zheng’s first-strike tennis held up.

The second set flipped quickly as Rybakina raised her level on return and served more efficiently. She won 80% of first-serve points in set two and converted both of her break chances to sprint to 6-1. Zheng’s first-serve percentage dipped to 45% in that set, which opened the door for pressure on second delivery. Rybakina also struck three aces in the middle set and controlled rallies earlier. From there, the No. 2 seed had the momentum and the scoreboard.

Serve numbers that told the story

Over the match, Rybakina was the steadier server in the big moments, even if Zheng posted a few larger raw counts. Zheng finished with more aces overall, 7 to 5, and fewer double faults, 4 to 5. But Rybakina put a greater share of first serves in play, 63% to 54%, and won a higher percentage behind both serves. She captured 80% of points behind her first serve and 59% behind her second, compared to 76% and 47% for Zheng. That second-serve gap mattered, especially late.

Break-point management separated them. Zheng saved 10 of 13 break points faced, which is excellent, but she generated only four chances against Rybakina and converted just one. Rybakina faced far fewer moments of danger and saved three of four, while converting three return games overall. Despite Zheng winning more total service points because she served more often, Rybakina still claimed 12 service games to 10. In the decider, Rybakina won an imposing 89% of first-serve points and needed only one break to close it out 6-4. On hardcourt in New York, that is usually a winning formula.

Return and baseline trends: backhand battle goes to Rybakina

The return side leaned clearly Rybakina. She won 35 receiver points to Zheng’s 20 across the three sets, and she outperformed on both first- and second-serve return points. Against the first ball, Rybakina won 23% to Zheng’s 19%, a small but telling edge. Against the second serve, her advantage widened to 53% versus 40%, keeping Zheng under constant pressure at deuce. Those gains on return translated directly to the three pivotal breaks that decided the match.

From the baseline, the backhand was a swing factor. Rybakina hit 18 total winners to Zheng’s 17 and led the backhand-winner count 7 to 3. She also produced more groundstroke winners overall, 13 to 9, while keeping her error totals in check. Zheng finished with 41 total errors to Rybakina’s 35, with the backhand leaking 26 for Zheng compared to 17 for Rybakina. Unforced errors were nearly level at 27 to 26, which underlines how the Kazakh’s cleaner hitting under pressure made the difference. Rybakina also strung together longer purple patches, peaking at six points in a row to Zheng’s four, which helped her wrestle control of momentum.

Context, seedings, and what’s next

This was a classic Grand Slam quarterfinal where small edges added up. The No. 2 seed and current World No. 1 by ranking data, Rybakina showed why she is a favorite on hardcourt by stabilizing her serve and attacking second balls. Zheng, a qualifier listed at No. 52, impressed with a sharp first set and a strong serve day overall. The match finished 15 games to 11 in Rybakina’s favor, and it required no tiebreaks, just one timely break in the final set. The scoreboard progression of 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 neatly reflects the shift in baseline control.

With this result, Rybakina moves into the US Open semifinals and keeps her title hopes alive in New York. Zheng leaves with credit for a bold run and a reminder of how dangerous her game is on hardcourts. For full rally-by-rally stats, service patterns, and set splits, visit the Sofascore event page. You can also track the rest of the draw and live scores on the US Open, Women tournament page. It is the business end of the Slam, and the numbers are starting to sing.