The key facts

  • Rybakina beat Putintseva 6-2, 6-3 at the Tokyo tournament and secured first place in the 2026 year-end WTA rankings
  • In the race, she has 8,099 points against 6,550 for Aryna Sabalenka
  • In 2026, Rybakina won four titles, including the Australian Open and the US Open

Victory in Tokyo secures the top spot

Elena Rybakina, representing Kazakhstan, has secured first place in the year-end WTA rankings for 2026 by defeating her compatriot Yulia Putintseva 6-2, 6-3 in the second round of the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. The match lasted 70 minutes; Rybakina served six aces and did not lose her serve, saving the only break point, reports Gazeta.Ru. Thanks to this victory, she is guaranteed to finish the season at the top of the rankings and will become the 17th player in history to end the year as world No. 1.

Lead in the race and season results

In the race to the WTA Finals, Rybakina now has 8,099 points, while her closest rival, Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, has 6,550. According to AFP, the 27-year-old Rybakina first took the top ranking spot last month after winning the US Open, displacing Sabalenka from the summit. In 2026 she has won four titles, including the Australian Open and the US Open; in total she has 14 WTA titles, three of them at Grand Slam tournaments (Wimbledon 2022, Australian Open 2026 and US Open 2026). Before Tokyo, she claimed her fourth title of the season at the Ningbo Open in China.

Reaction and upcoming schedule

“It means a great deal; we worked towards this with my team,” AFP quotes Rybakina as saying, calling the achievement “amazing.” She has already secured her place at the WTA Finals in Indian Wells, which will take place next month. Rybakina's quarterfinal opponent in Tokyo will be Canadian Leylah Fernandez, whom she defeated in the final in Ningbo.