By reaching the semi-finals, second seed Rybakina will become the new world number one on Monday, ending Sabalenka’s 99-week reign at the top. But the second seed has described first place as “just a number” and stressed that her attention remains focused on winning her third Grand Slam title. “It’s never the same if you become world number one after losing a Grand Slam final or semi-final right before, so you’ll try to cap off an absolutely perfect couple of weeks. “Sometimes you’re so focused on now, now, now, because you want to.” “Now, and obviously you want to take advantage of your opportunities,” he said. “In the grand scheme of things, [I’m] Definitely sitting here with a different mindset and perspective than last year. “It inspires me a little more to keep working, as I see how much I have improved in a year.” Gauff leads the head-to-head matchup 2-1, but Australian Open champion Rybakina rallied from a set down to triumph in last month’s Canadian Open semi-finals. “I’m going to get some aces and some winners, but I’m going to keep fighting and give it my all. That’s all I can do,” Gauff said.
