Rybakina one win away from finishing the year as WTA world No. 1

According to the WTA, Elena Rybakina needs to win one more match to guarantee the year-end No. 1 ranking for the first time in her career. The chance comes as early as Tokyo: she is the top seed at the WTA 500 Toray Pan Pacific Open and will face Yulia Putintseva in the second round. According to Tennis Explorer, the match is scheduled for 29 October; it is not on the 28 October order of play, and the schedule for the 29th has not been published yet. If she does not win in Tokyo, one match win at the WTA Finals in Indian Wells, which start on 8 November, will be enough. Before Tokyo she won the Ningbo title, dropping one set: the WTA notes it was her first trophy as world No. 1 and the first successful title defence of her career. It is Rybakina's 15th career title and her fourth of the 2026 season, the most of any player on tour. In the 26 October rankings she has 9,501 points; second-placed Aryna Sabalenka has 7,550.