ASTANA – Elena Rybakina rose to third in the WTA world rankings after advancing to the final of the 2026 Australian Open, marking the third Grand Slam final of her career. The 2022 Wimbledon champion previously reached the Australian Open final in 2023, where she fell to world No. Kazakhstan celebrated another historic milestone in Melbourne as Zangar Nurlanuly became the country’s first tennis player to reach the Junior Australian Open singles semifinals. The 17-year-old, ranked 12th in the ITF junior world rankings, defeated Hong Kong’s Kai Thompson (No. Last year, he reached the semifinals of the U.S. Open Juniors and now adds another historic achievement for Kazakhstan’s tennis.