Rybakina to play a Seoul exhibition on December 26-28

World No. 1 Elena Rybakina will take part in an exhibition tournament in Seoul, held from December 26 to 28, 2026, Zakon.kz reports, citing sportarena.kz and a Yonex Tennis post on Instagram. The announced field also includes Aryna Sabalenka, Mirra Andreeva, Iga Swiatek, Naomi Osaka and Jasmine Paolini. Exhibition matches are outside the WTA calendar and carry no ranking points; the format, draw and match schedule were not disclosed in the materials found. Rybakina's next official event is the China Open, which starts on September 30: on September 18 she withdrew from the Billie Jean King Cup because of a left ankle injury and needs at least two weeks to recover.

September 19, 2026Tournaments

Source: Zakon.kz, Yonex Tennis (Instagram)

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Tokyo: withdrawal before the quarterfinal

Tokyo · WTA 500 · 26 October – 1 November

On 30 October Rybakina withdrew from the Tokyo tournament before her quarterfinal against Leylah Fernandez. According to the WTA, the reason is a neck injury: inflammation and pain are stopping her from playing at her best. A day earlier, by beating Yulia Putintseva, she secured the year-end world No. 1 ranking.

Next on the calendar is the WTA Finals in Indian Wells, 8–15 November. How the injury affects her participation has not been announced yet.

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