Level 1 — Absolute Beginner
Elena Rybakina wins a big match at the US Open. She beats Coco Gauff on Thursday, September 10, 2026. The match happens at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.
Rybakina loses the first set. She fights back and wins the next two sets. The final score is 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. Rybakina is from Kazakhstan.
This win makes Rybakina the new number one player in women's tennis. She takes the top spot from Aryna Sabalenka.
Sabalenka also wins her match. She beats Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2. Now Sabalenka and Rybakina will play each other in the final at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
- semifinal
- a match played to decide who will go to the final
- final
- the last match of a competition, which decides the winner
- score
- the numbers that show who is winning or who won a game
- set
- a part of a tennis match; a player must win sets to win the match
- stadium
- a large building with seats where sports events happen
- rank
- a player's position compared to other players, such as number one
- comeback
- when someone starts losing but then starts winning
- opponent
- the other player you compete against in a game
Level 2 — Elementary
On Thursday, September 10, 2026, Elena Rybakina reached the final of the US Open women's singles tournament by defeating Coco Gauff in a hard fought semifinal at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.
Rybakina started slowly and lost the first set 3-6, but she came back strongly to win the next two sets 6-4 and 6-4, completing an impressive comeback.
Thanks to this victory, Rybakina, who is from Kazakhstan, became the new WTA world number one, taking over the top ranking from Aryna Sabalenka.
In the other semifinal, Sabalenka defeated Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2 to reach the final as well. She will now face Rybakina in a final between the player who is newly ranked number one and the player who just lost that ranking.
- defeat
- to win a game or match against someone
- hard fought
- won only after a long, difficult struggle
- comeback
- a return to success after being behind or losing
- victory
- an act of winning a game or competition
- ranking
- an official list showing how players compare to each other in skill or results
- take over
- to replace someone in a position or role
- reach a final
- to advance through a competition until arriving at its last stage
- singles
- a tennis match played between two individual players, not teams
Level 3 — Intermediate
Elena Rybakina advanced to the final of the 2026 US Open on Thursday, September 10, overcoming Coco Gauff in a three set semifinal battle at Arthur Ashe Stadium that swung dramatically in the deciding stages.
After dropping the opening set 3-6, Rybakina steadied her game and rallied to claim the final two sets 6-4, 6-4, denying Gauff a place in the championship match and completing one of the tournament's most notable comebacks.
The victory carried significance beyond the match itself: it propelled Rybakina, a Kazakhstani player, to the top of the WTA rankings for the first time, displacing Aryna Sabalenka from the world number one position she had held.
Sabalenka, for her part, secured her own place in the final with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Jessica Pegula, setting up a final at Arthur Ashe Stadium that will pit the newly crowned world number one against the very player she has just overtaken.
- advance
- to move forward to the next stage of a competition
- deciding stages
- the final, most important parts of a match or competition
- rally
- to recover strength or performance after a period of difficulty
- claim
- to win or achieve something, such as a set or title
- significance
- importance or meaning beyond the immediate event
- propel
- to push or drive someone forward, often to a new position
- displace
- to remove someone from a position and take their place
- overtake
- to pass or move ahead of someone, especially in rank or position
Level 4 — Advanced
Elena Rybakina booked her place in the final of the 2026 US Open on Thursday, grinding past Coco Gauff in a three set semifinal at Arthur Ashe Stadium that turned decisively in the Kazakhstani's favor once the match reached its concluding stages.
Having surrendered the opening set 3-6, Rybakina recalibrated her tactics and reasserted control, closing out the contest 6-4, 6-4 in a display of resilience that underscored why she has long been regarded as one of the tour's most formidable competitors under pressure.
The result carries consequences that extend well beyond Thursday's box score: it vaults Rybakina to the summit of the WTA rankings for the first time in her career, unseating Aryna Sabalenka from the top spot she had occupied.
Sabalenka, unmoved by the shifting hierarchy, dispatched Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2 in the tournament's other semifinal, setting the stage for a final at Arthur Ashe Stadium that will cast the sport's newly minted number one against the very rival she has just supplanted, a symmetry rarely seen on tennis's biggest stages.
- grind out
- to win a contest slowly and with great effort, rather than easily
- recalibrate
- to adjust one's approach or strategy in response to changing circumstances
- resilience
- the ability to recover quickly from difficulty or setbacks
- formidable
- inspiring respect through impressive strength or skill
- summit
- the highest point or position, used here for the top of a ranking
- unseat
- to remove someone from a position of power or leading rank
- dispatch
- to defeat an opponent quickly and decisively
- supplant
- to take the place of someone or something, especially by force or maneuvering
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