Rybakina Takes Control at the Top
The 2026 US Open has triggered a dramatic shake-up in the live WTA rankings, and the biggest story is Elena Rybakina overtaking Aryna Sabalenka for the world No. 1 position. The shift happened because Sabalenka shed a massive 2,000 points from her title defense at last year's tournament, while Rybakina dropped just 240. That swing was enough to push Rybakina to 7,911 live points, ahead of Sabalenka's 6,585.
Rybakina needs only to reach the semifinals in New York to officially claim the No. 1 ranking, which would end Sabalenka's reign that began in October 2024 and make Rybakina the 30th player in history to hold the top WTA position. Sabalenka's situation is even more precarious because Jessica Pegula sits just 90 points behind her in third place, with Coco Gauff a further 21 points back in fourth. If Sabalenka exits early at Flushing Meadows and both Americans outperform her result, she could fall as far as No. 4 when rankings update on September 14.
Career Highs, Sliding Stars, and British Fortunes
Among the players moving in the right direction, Alex Eala is having a moment to remember. The Filipino star climbed one spot to a provisional career-high of No. 17 after Naomi Osaka dropped five places to No. 18 following the removal of her 780 semifinal points from 2025.
Barbora Krejcikova has had a rough start, losing in straight sets to Khamila Rakhimova and falling seven spots to No. 36. Meanwhile, Emma Raducanu, still rebuilding after a leg injury, sits at No. 70 officially but slides a further 14 places in the live rankings. On a brighter note, Katie Boulter won her opening match and is moving up 13 spots to No. 49.
TennisDraw users flagged Rybakina as one of the tournament's most popular bracket picks heading into Flushing Meadows.
