Rybakina secures year-end number one ranking

Rybakina's push for the world number one ranking started at the end of 2025.

After losing to Sabalenka in the quarter-finals of the Wuhan Open last October, Rybakina took the Ningbo Open title one week later before beating Sabalenka to win the season-ending WTA Finals.

She carried that momentum into 2026, getting the better of Sabalenka again but this time in a major final. She beat her fellow big server in three competitive sets to win the Australian Open - her second Slam title almost four years after her first at Wimbledon.

Since then, Sabalenka has come out on top in their Indian Wells final and Miami Open semi-final, but Rybakina took the Stuttgart title on clay as Sabalenka's form fluctuated.