Elena Rybakina secured the year-end women's singles world number one ranking on Thursday with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Yulia Putintseva in the last 16 of the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.
The 27-year-old Kazakhstani player, who won the Australian Open and US Open titles earlier this year, cannot be overtaken in the WTA rankings with only a few weeks remaining in the 2026 season.
Rybakina's win in Tokyo came a week after she captured the Ningbo Open, her fourth title of the year. She served six aces and produced 25 winners against Putintseva, advancing to the quarter-finals where she will face Leylah Fernandez, whom she defeated 6-2, 6-2 in the Ningbo final.
"It means a lot. This is something we worked for with the team," Rybakina said after the match. "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 overtook Aryna Sabalenka to become world number one in September after beating the Belarusian in the finals of both the Australian Open and US Open. A quarter-final victory over Zheng Qinwen at the US Open confirmed her ascent to the top spot.
Her next event will be the defence of her singles title at the season-ending WTA Finals, scheduled for 8-15 November in Indian Wells.
