As the 2026 US Open gets underway in New York, Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan has climbed to the top of the WTA live rankings, a position that puts her in contention to become the official world No. 1 for the first time in her career. The live standings, updated in real time during tournaments, show Rybakina with 7,911 points, ahead of Belarus's Aryna Sabalenka (6,585) and American Jessica Pegula (6,555).
The live rankings reflect how the standings would look if they were recalculated at that moment, fluctuating as players gain points from current matches and lose points from previous editions of the same event. According to the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation, points from the 2025 US Open were removed from players' totals before this year's tournament. Sabalenka, the defending champion, saw 2,000 points drop off, while Rybakina had far fewer points to defend.
"This allowed the Kazakh player to move into first place in the live rankings before the end of this year's tournament," the federation said, stressing that her current position is an interim result and could change as the US Open progresses.
In contrast, the official WTA rankings are updated on a fixed schedule. On the WTA website, Rybakina remains second with 8,141 points, behind Sabalenka's 8,575. Rybakina entered the US Open as the world No. 2 and is among the main contenders for the title.
Path to No. 1
Kazakhstani tennis expert and coach Artyom Ostapenko outlined the scenarios for Rybakina to reach the top spot. "The first scenario, which does not depend on any other results, is for her to reach the semi-finals. In that case, she will become world No. 1 regardless of how the other players perform," he said. "If she does not reach the semi-finals, she could still become No. 1 if none of three other players wins the US Open: Aryna Sabalenka and Americans Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula."
Rybakina's fitness will be closely monitored throughout the tournament. Shortly before the US Open, she suffered an ankle injury during her quarter-final against Iga Swiatek at the Cincinnati Open and was forced to retire in the first set. Despite that setback, she arrives in New York after a strong North American hard-court swing, having reached the final of the WTA 1000 event in Toronto before making the quarter-finals in Cincinnati.
The US Open women's singles final is scheduled for 12 September at 4:00 pm local time in New York. The tournament is also notable for the broader European presence, with players from across the continent competing. While Rybakina represents Kazakhstan, her journey reflects the increasingly international nature of tennis, a theme that resonates beyond the sport. For context on Kazakhstan's evolving political landscape, see the shift to unicameral politics and the recent Kurultai vote.
