Elena Rybakina has enjoyed an outstanding season on the WTA Tour this year.
Following an indifferent 2025 campaign, Rybakina enjoyed the best season of her career in 2026, winning two Grand Slam titles and becoming the world number one for the first time. The Kazakh clinched the Australian Open crown at the top of the year, before triumphing at the US Open in September. With her run in New York, she leapfrogged former number one Aryna Sabalenka in the rankings.
Elena Rybakina’s bid to go back-to-back at the WTA Finals
Following her US Open victory, Rybakina suffered a first-round exit at the China Open before withdrawing from the final WTA 1000 tournament of the season in Wuhan. With a forgettable Asian swing in the rearview mirror, the 27-year-old will now set her sights on the WTA Finals, where she is the defending champion.
Rybakina won the WTA Finals for the first time at the back end of last season by beating top seed Sabalenka in the final. She won all of her group stage matches at the year-end tournament, including victories over Iga Swiatek and Amanda Anisimova.
Much like the men’s US Open, the WTA Finals has proved to be a difficult tournament to win in consecutive seasons. Rybakina is looking to become the first player to go back-to-back at the event since Serena Williams in 2014.
Williams completed a three-peat that year, but since then there has been a different winner each and every season.
- 2015 – Agnieszka Radwanska
- 2016 – Dominika Cibulkova
- 2017 – Caroline Wozniacki
- 2018 – Elina Svitolina
- 2019 – Ashleigh Barty
- 2020 – No competition due to COVID-19 pandemic
- 2021 – Garbine Muguruza
- 2022 – Caroline Garcia
- 2023 – Iga Swiatek
- 2024 – Coco Gauff
- 2025 – Elena Rybakina
Rybakina has made three appearances at the WTA Finals in her career, and lost in the round robin stage in her first two campaigns. With her triumph last year, she became the first Kazakhstani player and first player representing an Asian country to win the WTA Finals.
Rybakina is one of six players currently qualified for the 2026 WTA Finals, along with Sabalenka, Mirra Andreeva, Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff and Linda Noskova. Swiatek, Elina Svitolina, Karolina Muchova and Marta Kostyuk are all competing for the final two spots.