Elena Rybakina Became the First Player From Kazakhstan to Reach Number One in the Women's Rankings
Her United States Open title ended Aryna Sabalenka's ninety nine week run at the top and made her the thirtieth woman to hold the position.
Elena Rybakina reached world number one for the first time in the women's rankings published on 14 September 2026, becoming the first player from Kazakhstan ever to top the game.
She is the thirtieth woman to hold the position since the rankings began. The move followed her United States Open title, won against the defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, and ended Sabalenka's run of 99 weeks at number one.
Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine made her top-ten debut, rising from eleventh to tenth after reaching the fourth round in New York. She is the second Ukrainian woman to reach the top ten in the Open Era.
The biggest climb belonged to Zheng Qinwen of China, the 2024 Olympic champion, who rose 69 places from 121st to 52nd. She had fallen as low as 160th while recovering from elbow surgery. Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic rose twelve places to 45th, her first return to the top fifty since February 2025, and Sofia Kenin of the United States rose ten places to 100th. Claire Liu climbed fifteen places to 96th after winning a tournament in Barranquilla.
In the doubles rankings, Katerina Siniakova reached 200 total weeks at number one, passing Liezel Huber for the second most in history.