By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, October 29, 2026
Photo credit: Screen Shot
Elena Rybakina torched a match-ending ace blazing her way into history.
In all-Kazakh clash, Rybakina swept Yulia Putintseva, 6-2, 6-3, speeding into the Tokyo quarterfinals and clinching the year-end world No. 1 ranking for the first time.
Three-time Grand Slam champion Rybakina is the 17th player in WTA history to earn the year-end world No. 1 ranking and the first player from Kazakhstan, male or female, to seal the year-end top spot.
“Finishing the year as World No.1 in the PIF WTA Rankings for the first time is an incredibly special moment for me,” Rybakina said in a statement issued by the WTA. “I’m really proud of what I’ve achieved this season and the consistency I’ve shown throughout the year.
“I want to thank my team, my sponsors, my family and everyone who has supported me along the way. I’m now looking forward to competing at the WTA Finals and hopefully finishing the season on a high.”
Rybakina will be honored with the coveted Chris Evert WTA World No.1 Trophy during a special presentation at the 2026 FAGE WTA Finals in Indian Wells, California.
Empowered by her run to her fourth title of the year in Ningbo last week, Rybakina will face Canadian left-hander Leylah Fernandez in a rematch of that Ningbo final that saw the top seed score a 6-2, 6-2 win.
Earlier, Fernandez fought off Belgian Elise Mertens, 6-2, 7-6(8) in two hours, 12 minutes.
The 2021 US Open finalist Fernandez has won 15 of her last 19 matches, a hard-court surge that includes collecting her sixth title in Singapore and her run to the Ningbo final where she took down Mertens.
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