Elena Rybakina secured the year-end women’s singles number one ranking by defeating Yulia Putintseva in the last 16 of the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. The 6-2 6-3 victory ensures she cannot be overtaken in the closing weeks of a stellar season that includes Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open and US Open.
Tokyo Victory and Upcoming Match
Rybakina triumphed at the Ningbo Open to claim her fourth title of 2026. Following a first-round bye in Tokyo, she served six aces and produced 25 winners to overcome fellow Kazakhstan representative Putintseva. She will next face former US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez in the Tokyo quarter-finals, a rematch of the recent Ningbo Open final.
Reflecting on her accomplishment, Rybakina told BBC Sport: “It means a lot. This is something we worked for with the team. So many great players and we are all really close to each other, and I’m happy that now with last week and with today’s win I made it possible to secure number one at the end of the year. It’s an amazing achievement and hopefully we can continue this way next year.”
2026 Season Highlights and Rise to the Top
The 27-year-old defeated Sabalenka in the finals of the Slams in Melbourne and New York this year, overtaking the Belarusian to claim the world number one spot in September. Her rise to the top was cemented by a quarter-final victory over China’s Zheng Qinwen at the US Open. Rybakina’s push for the top ranking began at the end of 2025 when she won the Ningbo Open and the season-ending WTA Finals by beating Sabalenka.
She maintained that momentum into 2026 by defeating Sabalenka in three sets to win the Australian Open. Although Sabalenka won their encounters at Indian Wells and the Miami Open, Rybakina claimed the Stuttgart title on clay. Following early exits at the French Open and Wimbledon, she reached the Toronto final before suffering a left ankle injury that forced her to retire from her Cincinnati Open quarter-final against Iga Swiatek.
Despite limited training ahead of the US Open due to the ankle issue, she successfully captured the Flushing Meadows title and reached the summit of the rankings. Her next tournament will be the defence of her singles title at the season-ending WTA Finals, scheduled for 8-15 November in Indian Wells.
