Win in Tokyo: Rybakina finishes the year as No. 1 for the first time
Elena Rybakina has clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking for the first time with a straight-sets win over Yulia Putintseva in Tokyo. Naomi Osaka lost there to an 18-year-old wildcard.
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Elena Rybakina is confirmed as the year-end No. 1 more than a week before the WTA Finals. After a first-round bye, the 27-year-old from Kazakhstan beat compatriot Yulia Putintseva 6-2, 6-3 at the WTA 500 event in Tokyo, Reuters reported. That means Aryna Sabalenka can no longer overtake her this year. It is the first time Rybakina has finished a season at the top.
"The earlier I can confirm it the better," Rybakina had said before the match, according to Flashscore. It has been her most successful season: according to the WTA, she won the Australian Open and the US Open, and on Sunday she defended her title in Ningbo. In the Tokyo quarter-finals she now faces a rematch of the Ningbo final against Leylah Fernandez, who beat Elise Mertens 6-2, 7-6 (8).
Former No. 1 Naomi Osaka, however, is out. The seventh seed lost 6-3, 7-5 in 1 hour 35 minutes to 18-year-old Slovak wildcard Mia Pohanková, who now plays Alycia Parks, according to Reuters. The WTA Finals for the top eight players take place in Indian Wells from November 8 to 15.