Elena Rybakina has made it clear she is not losing sleep over the world No. 1 ranking, but her performances at the National Bank Open in Toronto are making it very difficult for anyone else to ignore the conversation.
After Aryna Sabalenka's early exit at the Canadian Open, Rybakina seized the moment by battling past Naomi Osaka in three sets to reach the semifinals. When Tennis Channel's Mark Petchey pressed her on whether the top spot was on her mind, Rybakina was characteristically composed, saying she only thinks about it when reporters bring it up and that her focus stays on going "match by match" and winning titles.
That measured mindset has produced two trophies in 2026, at the Australian Open and the Stuttgart Open, keeping her firmly in the hunt. Sabalenka, meanwhile, has not won a title since the Miami Open in March, which has kept the race tight throughout the summer.
Still, Rybakina herself has left points on the table. A round of 64 exit at Roland Garros, a round of 32 loss at Wimbledon, plus early defeats to Katie Boulter at Queen's and Alex Eala in Berlin represent real missed opportunities. Toronto, however, has seen her click through victories over Daria Kasatkina, Ann Li, Liudmila Samsonova, and Osaka in convincing fashion.
Should she win the entire tournament, she would sit just four ranking points behind Sabalenka heading into Cincinnati and the US Open. But first she must handle Coco Gauff in the semifinals, with Elina Svitolina or Iga Swiatek potentially waiting in the final.
Rybakina has been among the most selected semifinalists on TennisDraw this week, reflecting just how much confidence fans have in her current form.
