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Archive photoElena Rybakina Beats Yulia Putintseva To Secure Year-End WTA No. 1 Ranking
5 Asian5 Other4 Western Mainstream4 Other source typesPhoto: Arne Müseler / www.arne-mueseler.com, CC BY-SA 3.0 de · Cropped for layout
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Rybakina defeated Yulia Putintseva 6-2, 6-3 at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. The win secures her year-end WTA No. 1 ranking for 2026.
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Tokyo clinch
Elena Rybakina secured the year-end women’s singles number one ranking by beating Yulia Putintseva 6-2 6-3 in the last 16 of the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. Rybakina, who represents Kazakhstan, won the match after a first-round bye and then set up a quarter-final against Leylah Fernandez, who she beat 6-2 6-2 in the Ningbo Open final. Rybakina’s victory in Tokyo came after she had already won the Australian Open and US Open titles, and it ensured she could not be overtaken in the closing weeks of the season.
Rybakina next heads to the season-ending WTA Finals, which take place from 8-15 November in Indian Wells, where she will defend her singles title. Rybakina also arrived in Tokyo after capturing her fourth title of 2026 at the Ningbo Open and serving six aces while producing 25 winners against Putintseva.
Quotes and match
Rybakina told reporters, "It means a lot, this is something we worked for with the team," after her win at the Ariake Coliseum. Rybakina added, "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." Rybakina said her serve helped her in the important moments, telling reporters, "Today the serve definitely helped me in the important moments."
Rybakina explained that a closed roof and the conditions made serving feel better, saying, "I think today with a closed roof and a combination of the balls and the court made me feel better serving." Rybakina’s run to the top also followed a quarter-final victory over China’s Zheng Qinwen at the US Open, which moved her to the top of the singles rankings for the first time.
Next targets
Rybakina’s year-end No. 1 was already set in motion by her rise to the top in September, when she became world number one on the way to her US Open victory.
The BBC said Rybakina’s push for the world number one ranking started at the end of 2025, when she lost to Sabalenka in the quarter-finals of the Wuhan Open last October.
Rybakina’s season included setbacks, with the BBC noting she was forced to retire injured from her Cincinnati Open quarter-final against Swiatek.
Rybakina will now play Leylah Fernandez in the quarter-finals in Tokyo, a rematch of their Ningbo final after Fernandez beat Elise Mertens 6-2, 7-6(8).
Rybakina’s next tournament after Tokyo is the WTA Finals in Indian Wells from 8-15 November, where she will defend her singles title as the season’s top-ranked player.