Rybakina secures year-end number one ranking

Elena Rybakina secured the year-end women's singles number one ranking by beating Yulia Putintseva in the last 16 of the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.

The 6-2 6-3 victory for Rybakina means she cannot be overtaken in the closing weeks of a stellar year in which she has won the Australian Open and US Open titles.

She will play former US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez, who she beat 6-2 6-2 in the Ningbo Open final, in the quarter-finals.

The 27-year-old Rybakina, who represents Kazakhstan, beat Sabalenka in the finals of the Slams in Melbourne and New York this year and also usurped the Belarusian to become world number one on the way to her US Open victory in September.

A quarter-final victory over China's Zheng Qinwen at the US Open made sure she would move to the top of the singles rankings for the first time.

Rybakina triumphed at the Ningbo Open last week to win her fourth title of 2026 and, after a first-round bye in Tokyo, served six aces and produced 25 winners in beating Putintseva, who also competes for Kazakhstan.

Rybakina's next tournament will be the defence of her singles title at the season-ending WTA Finals, which take place from 8-15 November in Indian Wells.