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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How Rybakina played: recent matches
The 2026 season at a glance
When does Elena Rybakina play?
Organisers publish the exact start time the evening before, when the order of play is released. Until then only the day and the court are known. For events in the United States the difference with Central Asia is nine to eleven hours, so a New York night session lands in the early hours of the following morning in Astana.
| Tournament region | Typical session | UK time | Astana time |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States (New York, east coast) | 7:00 p.m. local | midnight | 4:00 a.m. next day |
| United States (Indian Wells, west coast) | 7:00 p.m. local | 3:00 a.m. next day | 7:00 a.m. next day |
| Europe (London, Paris, Rome) | 1:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. local | same or +1 | 5:00 p.m. – midnight |
| Australia (Melbourne) | 7:00 p.m. local | 9:00 a.m. | 2:00 p.m. same day |
| Middle East (Dubai, Doha) | 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. local | 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. | 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. |
Where to find live scores
We do not run a live scoreboard - it would be out of date within seconds. For game-by-game scores and serve statistics use the official sources: the tournament website, wtatennis.com and the WTA app. The list of legal broadcasters is on the where to watch page.
Why the score does not appear here instantly
We publish a result only after an official source confirms it - the tournament website or wtatennis.com. The gap between the last point and the protocol appearing in the WTA database is usually anywhere from a few minutes to an hour: the chair umpire signs off on the score, the statistics are reconciled against the electronic line-calling feed, and only then is the match closed in the system.
In that window screenshots and second-hand summaries are already circulating on social media, often with the tie-break score wrong or the names swapped. That is why the box above may read "score being confirmed" instead of showing figures: it means the match has been played, but we do not yet have a source we can verify. Once it appears, this page and the news feed are updated within the hour.
Upcoming events
| Tournament | Category | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billie Jean King Cup - Finals Entry confirmed Shenzhen, China | Team event (BJK Cup) hard | September 22–27 | Kazakhstan reached the Finals by beating Canada 3-1 in qualifying, but on 23 September, without Elena Rybakina, they lost to Spain 1-2 in the quarterfinals. Rybakina did not travel to Shenzhen: on 18 September she announced her withdrawal with a left ankle injury. Kazakhstan were represented by Yulia Putintseva, Anna Danilina, Zhibek Kulambayeva and Sonja Zhiyenbayeva; Putintseva won the only point. |
| Wuhan Open Wuhan, China | WTA 1000 hard | October 12–18 | On 4 October Rybakina withdrew from the tournament with injury, a day after her second-round loss at the China Open. In 2025 she reached the quarterfinals in Wuhan. The WTA 1000 event will go ahead without her; her next scheduled event is Ningbo. |
| 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. Her place among the eight for 2026 was already secured with the ranking update on 14 September. |
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.
The full calendar with explanations is in the match schedule.
Related news
- RankingMatches
Rybakina beats Putintseva in Tokyo and secures year-end No. 1
On 29 October Elena Rybakina beat Yulia Putintseva 6-2, 6-3 in 1 hour 10 minutes in the second round of the WTA 500 Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. According to the WTA, the win secured the year-end No. 1 ranking for her for the first time in her career. Rybakina never lost serve, saved the only break point she faced in the final game and closed the match with her sixth ace. Afterwards she said matches against Putintseva are always difficult and that the closed roof helped her: the ball flies faster, and such conditions suit her. The head-to-head is now 3-2 to Rybakina, and her winning streak has reached five matches. In the quarterfinals she will face Leylah Fernandez, whom she beat in the Ningbo final: the Canadian defeated Elise Mertens 6-2, 7-6(8). The time of the 30 October match will be known once the WTA publishes the order of play.
Source: WTA, Tennis Explorer - TournamentsMatches
Rybakina to face Putintseva in the Tokyo second round
On 27 October Yulia Putintseva, who reached the Toray Pan Pacific Open main draw through qualifying, beat Maria Sakkari in the first round 6-4, 3-6, 6-1. She now meets Elena Rybakina: the tournament's top seed had a first-round bye. According to Tennis Explorer, the second-round match is scheduled for 29 October; it is not on the WTA order of play published for 28 October, and the exact time will be known once the WTA releases the next day's schedule. Tokyo is four hours ahead of Astana. The head-to-head between the two Kazakhstan players stands at 2-2: Putintseva won their first two matches, in 2020 and 2021, and Rybakina the last two, in Madrid in 2024 and Miami in 2026. The win over Sakkari is already Putintseva's third at the event, after two qualifying victories. Tokyo is Rybakina's last tournament before the WTA Finals, where she is the defending champion.
Source: WTA, Tennis Explorer - TournamentsMatches
Rybakina defends her Ningbo title: 6-2, 6-2 over Leylah Fernandez in the final
On 25 October Elena Rybakina won the WTA 500 event in Ningbo, beating Canada's Leylah Fernandez 6-2, 6-2 in the final in 1 hour 16 minutes. According to the WTA, she never lost her serve and saved all four break points she faced. In the quarterfinal Rybakina beat Katarzyna Kawa 6-1, 3-6, 6-1, and in the semifinal Diana Shnaider 6-3, 7-5. It is the first successful title defence of her career, her fourth trophy of the season - more than any other player in 2026 - and the 15th of her career. She is now eight wins from eight matches in Ningbo. After the final Rybakina said Ningbo had become a special place for her and that the win gives her extra motivation for the rest of the season. The champion receives 500 ranking points and $185,500 in prize money. Her next event is Tokyo, where she is the top seed.
Source: WTA, AP, Tennis Explorer
Frequently asked questions
Is Elena Rybakina playing today?
The next match is shown in the box at the top of this page. It is updated daily; if there is no match, the next tournament is listed instead.
What time does Rybakina play?
It depends on the tournament region. A New York night session is roughly midnight UK time and 4:00 a.m. in Astana.
Where can I see the result of Rybakina's match?
Official scores are published by the tournament website and wtatennis.com. We cover the outcome in the news feed.