Elena Rybakina clinches year-end world number one with Tokyo victory

Elena Rybakina has guaranteed that she will finish 2026 as the women's singles world number one after defeating Yulia Putintseva in Tokyo. According to BBC Sport, her 6-2, 6-3 victory in the Pan Pacific Open's last 16 put the ranking beyond the reach of her rivals for the remainder of the season.

Watch the highlights:

The 27-year-old, who represents Kazakhstan, hit six aces and 25 winners against Putintseva, another player representing Kazakhstan. Rybakina had received a first-round bye and now advances to a quarter-final against Leylah Fernandez. The pair met in last week's Ningbo Open final, where Rybakina won 6-2, 6-2 to collect her fourth title of the year.

Her season has included victories at both the Australian Open and US Open, with Aryna Sabalenka beaten in each final. Rybakina's quarter-final win over Zheng Qinwen in New York ensured that she would replace Sabalenka at the top of the rankings for the first time. She then went on to win the tournament, adding a second major championship of 2026 to her Melbourne success.

The run towards the top began late last season. After losing to Sabalenka in the Wuhan quarter-finals in October 2025, Rybakina won Ningbo and then defeated the Belarusian to claim the WTA Finals. She carried those results into the Australian Open, winning a three-set final against Sabalenka for her second Grand Slam singles title, following her breakthrough at Wimbledon almost four years earlier.

The season also brought setbacks. Sabalenka defeated Rybakina in the Indian Wells final and Miami semi-finals, while Rybakina won Stuttgart on clay before early exits at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. She subsequently lost the Toronto final to Iga Swiatek and retired from their Cincinnati quarter-final with a left ankle problem. BBC Sport reported that the injury affected her movement and serving and restricted her training before the US Open.

Despite that disrupted preparation, Rybakina emerged from New York with the title and the number one ranking. Her Tokyo victory has now secured the year-end distinction while she remains in contention for another trophy this week. After the Pan Pacific Open, she is due to defend her WTA Finals singles title at Indian Wells, where the season-ending event runs from 8 to 15 November.