Elena Rybakina has set her main goal to finish the 2026 season as world number one. The Kazakh made her statement before the start of the WTA 500 tournament in Ningbo, where she is the leader in the schedule.
“The most important thing for me is to finish the season in first place“, said Rybakina, quoted by the Spanish publication Punto de Break. She added that she would try to give her all in the remaining weeks, but admitted that the season had been long and exhausting.
“I am currently focused on my health and trying to manage everything related to physical training“, the tennis player also said.
The 27-year-old Rybakina climbed to the top of the rankings after the US Open. She won the tournament in New York, defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the final 6:4, 5:7, 6:2. In this way, the Kazakh won her third Grand Slam title and the second of the year after the triumph at the Australian Open.
After her success in New York, Rybakina became the first representative of Kazakhstan to reach the top spot in the world rankings. She is also the 30th player in WTA history to top the rankings.
The Ningbo Open takes place from October 19 to 25 on hard courts. Rybakina returns to the competition as the defending champion after winning the tournament in 2025. The main draw also includes Iga Sviontek, Marta Kostyuk and Belinda Bencic.
According to Punto de Break, Rybakina has a lead of nearly 1,000 points over Sabalenka in the race for the top spot at the end of the season. The Belarusian does not participate in Ningbo, which gives the leader the opportunity to increase her lead.
After the tournament in China, there is one more big stop on the calendar - the WTA Finals in Indian Wells. The final tournament of the season will be held from November 8 to 15 and will bring together the eight best tennis players in the race for the title and the leadership position at the end of the year.
Sources: puntodebreak.com, apnews.com