WTA US Open 2026 Ranking WTA Aryna Sabalenka Elena Rybakina

The 'Big 4' of the WTA ranking meets in the semifinals 17 years later

Fernando Murciego - 9 Sep 2026
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The Big Four of the WTA ranking meets in the semifinals 51 years later. Source: Getty

The US Open 2026 has achieved something that seemed reserved for another era. For the first time in 17 years, the top four seeds of a Grand Slam tournament have reached the semifinals simultaneously.

Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, and Coco Gauff have made a clean sweep in New York and have turned the women's draw into a nearly perfect representation of the rankings. One must go back to Wimbledon 2009 to find the last precedent. At that time, it was Dinara Safina, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, and Elena Dementieva, the four top seeds of the London tournament, who reached the penultimate round. It has taken three long decades for such an unusual circumstance to happen again.

But the fact takes on even greater significance when focusing exclusively on the US Open. In New York, something like this hadn't happened since 1975, when Chris Evert, Virginia Wade, Martina Navratilova, and Evonne Goolagong reached the semifinals as the top four seeds. That edition belongs to a practically different era of tennis. Evert was the number one in the world, Wade was in second place, Navratilova was third, and Goolagong was fourth.

The uniqueness is even more valuable in an era where Grand Slams often offer surprises, early eliminations of favorites, and unexpected paths to the final rounds. This time, however, the ranking has held firm. The four top seeds of the US Open are still in contention, and now only the decision of who takes the crown remains. The fact also reflects the enormous parity that exists at the top of women's tennis, where four of the best players in the world will face each other in the ultimate battle for New York. The US Open 2026 has not only gathered the favorites; it has achieved something that hasn't happened in 17 years.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, El "Big4" del ranking WTA se cita en semifinales 17 años después