Rybakina will stay world No. 1 after Wuhan as Sabalenka exits in the second round

On 14 October Aryna Sabalenka, the top seed at the Wuhan Open, lost her opening match in the second round to American Ann Li - 6:3, 4:6, 6:7(5). Elena Rybakina is missing Wuhan with a foot injury, and this week she drops 500 points from last year's Ningbo title. Yet even a Wuhan title (1,000 points) would not have let Sabalenka overtake her: in the 12 October rankings Rybakina has 9,696 points and Sabalenka 7,550. After the Belarusian's exit, Rybakina will remain No. 1 in the 19 October update - a sixth straight week - with a lead of more than 1,500 points. Her next scheduled event is the Ningbo Open (19–25 October), where she is the defending champion. As of 14 October there is no official word on whether she has recovered in time for Ningbo.