Rybakina secures year-end No. 1 with Tokyo win

Elena Rybakina secured the year-end women’s singles No. 1 ranking by beating Yulia Putintseva 6-2, 6-3 in the last 16 of the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. The victory means Aryna Sabalenka can no longer overtake Rybakina in the standings, and Rybakina will begin 2027 as the top-ranked player. The match was Rybakina’s first in Tokyo after a first-round bye. She beat Putintseva, who also represents Kazakhstan, in 70 minutes, according to reports on the match. One detailed account said Rybakina hit six aces and 25 winners and saved the only break point she faced. Rybakina had needed one more victory this year to make the year-end ranking beyond Sabalenka’s reach. She first became world No. 1 in September, after winning the US Open and replacing Sabalenka at the top of the rankings. The Tokyo result secured her year-end position, rather than marking her first ascent to No. 1. The ranking outcome caps a season in which Rybakina won the Australian Open and US Open. She also claimed the Ningbo Open the week before the Tokyo tournament, her fourth title of 2026. Her results included wins over Sabalenka in the finals of both the Australian Open and US Open, while Sabalenka defeated her in...