Elena Rybakina secured the year-end WTA world number one ranking after beating Yulia Putintseva 6-2 6-3 in the last 16 of the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo on 29 October 2026.
The victory means the 27-year-old Kazakhstani cannot be overtaken in the remaining weeks of the season. She has won the Australian Open and US Open titles in 2026, and captured her fourth title of the year at the Ningbo Open last week.
Rybakina served six aces and produced 25 winners against Putintseva. She will face Leylah Fernandez in the quarter-finals, having beaten her 6-2 6-2 in the Ningbo final.
"It means a lot. This is something we worked for with the team. So many great players and we are all really close to each other, and I'm happy that now with last week and with today's win I made it possible to secure number one at the end of the year. It's an amazing achievement and hopefully we can continue this way next year," Rybakina said.
Rybakina overtook Aryna Sabalenka to become world number one in September after beating her in the Australian Open and US Open finals. A quarter-final win over Zheng Qinwen at the US Open confirmed her ascent.
She will defend her singles title at the season-ending WTA Finals in Indian Wells from 8-15 November.
