September 12, 4:00 p.m. New York time - 1:00 a.m. September 13 in Astana
A battle between the reigning and the incoming world No. 1: from Monday the WTA rankings will be led by Rybakina regardless of the final's outcome. The list of legal broadcasters is on the “where to watch” page.
Remaining 2026 calendar
| Tournament | Category | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Open In progress New York, United States | Grand Slam hard | August 24 – September 12 | Her first US Open final. The final against Aryna Sabalenka is on 12 September at 4:00 p.m. New York time - 9:00 p.m. in the UK, 1:00 a.m. on 13 September in Astana. |
| China Open Entry confirmed Beijing, China | WTA 1000 hard | September 30 – October 11 | The first WTA 1000 of the Asian swing. Rybakina is on the WTA entry list, second after Aryna Sabalenka; the defending champion is Amanda Anisimova. |
| Wuhan Open Expected Wuhan, China | WTA 1000 hard | October 12–18 | The second WTA 1000 of the Asian swing; Rybakina reached the quarterfinals here in 2025. |
| Ningbo Open Defending title Ningbo, China | WTA 500 hard | October 19–25 | Rybakina won this title in 2025, beating Ekaterina Alexandrova in the final. All those points are on the line. |
| WTA Finals Defending title Indian Wells, United States | WTA Finals hard | November 8–15 | The season-ending event for the top eight has moved from Riyadh to Indian Wells. Rybakina is the defending champion: she beat Aryna Sabalenka 6–3, 7–6(0) in the 2025 final. The biggest block of ranking points she has to defend. |
Asian swing dates follow the standard WTA calendar and are confirmed by organisers. Top players enter shortly before each event - the status column is updated as official announcements appear.
How the order of play is decided
- The draw. Made one or two days before the start; it fixes the opponents for each round.
- Match day. At Grand Slams rounds are played every other day; at WTA 1000 events they often run on consecutive days.
- Order of play. The schedule with courts and match order is published the evening before.
- Exact times. Known only for the first match of a session. Everything after that is listed as “not before” and depends on how long the earlier matches run.
A practical tip. If Rybakina is second or third on a session, allow two to three hours beyond the stated “not before” time. A three-set women's match on hard courts regularly runs past two hours.
What she is defending this autumn
Holding the No. 1 ranking is a matter of arithmetic over 52 weeks. At the end of 2025 Rybakina won Ningbo and the WTA Finals - the largest block of points available in the autumn, and all of it now on the line. How the calculation works is explained on the ranking page.
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How to read a tournament draw
A Grand Slam draw contains 128 players and seven rounds. Thirty-two are seeded by ranking and positioned so that the top names cannot meet early: the first and second seeds can only meet in the final, the first and fourth no earlier than the semifinals.
The rest of the positions are drawn at random, which is where the idea of a “tough half” comes from - when chance concentrates several dangerous unseeded players in one quarter. At WTA 1000 events the draw is smaller (96 or 64) and the top seeds receive a first-round bye.
What seeding means and why it matters
Seeding is set by the ranking at the entry deadline, usually a few weeks before a tournament. That is why the No. 1 WTA ranking is not only status but a practical advantage: the top seed gets what is, in theory, the most navigable path.
Seeding also affects scheduling. Seeded players are more often placed on show courts and in night sessions, which are broadcast in full. Unseeded matches are frequently sent to outside courts where there may be no camera at all.
Frequently asked questions
When is Elena Rybakina's next match?
The next match is shown at the top of this page. The order of play for a given day is published the evening before.
Which tournaments will Rybakina play in the rest of 2026?
After the US Open the calendar runs through the Asian swing (Beijing, Wuhan, Ningbo) and the WTA Finals, where she defends her title.
Why is the start time listed as “not before”?
Exact times are known only for the first match of a session. Later matches begin when the previous ones finish.