Rybakina secured year-end WTA No. 1 ranking — Asharq Al-Awsat

Kazakh tennis player Elena Rybakina defeated her compatriot Yulia Putintseva 6:2, 6:3 in the second round of the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, Japan, and for the first time secured the year-end No. 1 spot in the WTA world rankings. This was reported by Asharq Al-Awsat.

Victory in Tokyo

Rybakina began her campaign at the WTA 500 tournament directly in the round of 16 after receiving a first-round bye. Before arriving in Tokyo, she won her fourth title of the season at the tournament in Ningbo, China.

The 27-year-old player became the world No. 1 for the first time on her way to winning the US Open last month. To definitively secure the lead in the season rankings, she needed one more victory so that world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka could no longer overtake her.

Third Grand Slam title

This season, Rybakina won the Australian Open and the US Open, bringing her total number of Grand Slam titles to three. She previously won Wimbledon four years ago.

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After her US Open triumph, the tennis player lost her opening match at the tournament in Beijing and missed the competition in Wuhan because of a leg injury. In Ningbo, she managed to defend her title.

Next opponent

In the Pan Pacific Open quarterfinals, Rybakina will play Canada's Leylah Fernandez. It will be a repeat of the Ningbo final, where Rybakina won the title. In Tokyo, Fernandez defeated Belgium's Elise Mertens 6:2, 7:6 (8).

Rybakina is bidding for her 16th career title ahead of the WTA Finals in Indian Wells, California. The tournament, scheduled for November 8–15, will feature the season's eight best tennis players.