Elena Rybakina eyes historic yearend world No. 1 finish
Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina, currently ranked World No. 1 in women's singles, is just one victory away from securing the year-end top spot in the WTA rankings for the first time in her career, Qazinform News Agency reports.
Last week, Rybakina cruised to the title in Ningbo, dropping just one set throughout the tournament. The victory gave Rybakina her first title as World No. 1 and marked the first time she had successfully defended a title. She now has 15 WTA singles titles to her name, including a tour-leading four in 2026.
The reigning Australian Open and US Open champion needs just one more victory to finish 2026 as World No. 1 for the first time in her career.
Rybakina is the top seed at this week's Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo and will begin her campaign in the second round against either Greece's Maria Sakkari or fellow Kazakh Yulia Putintseva, who secured her place in the main draw through qualifying.
Even if Rybakina does not win a match in Tokyo, she can still secure the yearend World No. 1 ranking with a single victory at the WTA Finals, set to take place in Indian Wells in two weeks.
Earlier, Qazinform reported Kazakhstan’s Rybakina retained the world No.1, Putintseva leaped 13 spots.