Elena Rybakina moved another step toward world No 1 after producing her most convincing performance of the tournament against Naomi Osaka at the US Open.

The world No 2, who has yet to surrender a set in New York this year, controlled the match from the start and defeated the four-time Grand Slam winner 6-1, 6-4 in just over an hour. It was a timely statement from the second seed as the tournament enters its decisive phase.

“I honestly didn’t expect it,” the second seed said during her on-court interview. “I played really well today. [I was] feeling the ball was really good from my side.

“A bit lucky in some moments. I caught some lines. … Naomi is a tough opponent. I knew no matter the score I needed to focus on each ball. She’s also an aggressive player. I’m very glad with the way I played today.”

The win tightened Rybakina’s position in the WTA Rankings race and left Zheng Qinwen as the player directly standing between her and the top ranking. Rybakina needs only a place in the semi-finals to move ahead of Aryna Sabalenka and become the 30th WTA world No 1.

The picture is still crowded, with Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff all still alive at the season-ending Grand Slam. Even so, Rybakina remains in control of her own path.

“Of course I want it,” the reigning Australian Open champion said. “I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t wish this.”

She added: “I try to approach the same, fight to the end in my next match – let’s see what will happen.”

Rybakina could still finish the tournament as world No 1 even if she loses to Zheng, though that would require the other three contenders to win the title. She has been in similar situations before at the French Open and Wimbledon, where chances to reach the summit ended with early exits.

Still, her focus remains on the trophy in Flushing Meadows.

“The No 1 ranking is of course one of the goals, but I think the main focus for me, for the team, is to win the titles and then the ranking will follow. So we go match by match, but obviously we want to win the titles, the tournament. So that’s I would say main main goal.”

If she gets through Zheng, Rybakina would meet either Coco Gauff or Mirra Andreeva in the semi-finals. One of Sabalenka, Pegula, Linda Noskova and Amanda Anisimova would then be waiting in the final.

Coco Gauff has advanced with authority into the round of 16 at this year’s US Open, continuing a polished run at her home Grand Slam. The American has moved past Zeynep Sonmez, Paula Badosa, and Cristina Bucsa without losing a set, and now faces Iva Jovic for a place in the quarter finals.

Her form has not gone unnoticed. Martina Navratilova has been impressed by what Gauff has produced at Flushing Meadows and believes the young American has a clear edge over much of the field as she seeks a third Grand Slam title.

“It’s a hard one. Sabalenka, I think she’s the most, perhaps, fired up for this because she hasn’t won a major [this year] and usually she does, but Coco Gauff. I think she plays better under pressure than the rest of them [the draw],” said Navratilova on Sky Sports.

“Everyone else is a little more up and down, whereas Coco rises for it and here in New York she has consistently played well,” said the multi-time Grand Slam champion.

“And the crowd is going to go nuts for her as well. It’s like the known, unknown. She’s been through so much. She’s such a veteran, at such a young age.

“She just gets on with it, plays the next point, and if anything, it makes her even more dug in, to hit the backhand because the forehand can go off a little bit.

“She’s handled it well and she’s hitting both shots harder now, and consistently well, as she has all year, so I think she’s pulling her game together just in time.”

Even so, Navratilova ultimately settled on Sabalenka as her pick to win the tournament. Sabalenka has captured the last two US Open titles, while Gauff remains a proven force at the event after winning in 2023.

The title picture is also tied closely to the battle for world No 1 on the WTA Tour. Gauff, Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, and Jessica Pegula are all in contention, with Sabalenka needing to defend her title to stay on top. Gauff and Pegula likely need the same result to reach No 1, while Rybakina will move there if Sabalenka, Pegula, or Gauff do not win the trophy at Flushing Meadows.

Brad Gilbert said he was struck by the level of support Alex Eala drew during her third-round meeting with Iva Jovic at the US Open.

The matchup between two of the women’s game’s most promising young players was among the most talked-about contests of the tournament, and it delivered on Arthur Ashe Stadium. In a tense battle lasting more than three hours, 18-year-old Jovic recovered from a break deficit in the third set and edged through 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 on Saturday night.

At the finish, the American collapsed to the court in emotion before embracing the Filipina, who has now lost three times to Jovic this year.

When asked what was required to secure the victory, the teenager said, “It took losing my earrings, falling literally flat out on the floor, cuts on my knees, mental breakdowns. It took literally everything.”

Even though the US Open is Jovic’s home Grand Slam, the atmosphere often felt far more partisan than expected. Eala’s supporters were loud throughout, and Gilbert, mindful of how strongly American players are usually backed at this event, said he was surprised Jovic did not feel like the crowd’s clear choice.

He said on the Big T podcast, “ That great spirit that was played in. It was kind of surprising to see an American, you know, not have the crowd with her.

“But you know what’s so refreshing is to see two players play without scream grunting, without squawking and yelling at their box. And it was played with great sportsmanship.”

Gilbert, who coached Andre Agassi for much of his career, called it the match of the tournament, while co-host Ajla Tomljanović went even further and labeled it the match of the year.

Tomljanović also praised the intensity from both teenagers, saying, “What really impressed me with Eala and Jovic… it was hard hitting from start to finish. But there were so many little momentum shifts. And you know what? Not at any point did they let up.

“Even if they lost the point, they kept going for it. And I think this is what you see when you see young players go for it under pressure. That to me is a champion mentality. So they’re never going to be really afraid of the moment.”

Jovic next faces fellow American Coco Gauff in round four on Monday.