Jelena Rybakina will replace Aryna Sabalenka as the world No. 1 in women's tennis when the WTA rankings are updated on Monday, September 14, after beating Sabalenka in the final of the US Open.
Rybakina, of Kazakhstan, had already made the change certain once she beat Qinwen Zheng in the quarterfinals in New York. From that point on, Rybakina was guaranteed to overtake Sabalenka even if the Belarusian had gone on to defend the title she won a year earlier.
A New No. 1
Sabalenka had held the world No. 1 ranking for almost two years and wanted to extend her reign with another Grand Slam title in New York. Rybakina wanted the same result to open a new era in women's tennis.
The pursuit set up a final between the two best players in the world, with more than the trophy and the prize money at stake. Also on the line was the advantage Rybakina would hold over the rest of the field.
Rybakina's victory made that advantage substantial. Sabalenka loses 2,026 points in the new rankings, while the gaps further down the list are far smaller.
Karolina Muchova and Iga Świątek both slipped after failing to defend the points they earned by reaching the quarterfinals a year ago, allowing Elina Svitolina to move above them.
Other Polish Players in the Rankings
The other Polish players in the world's top 100 also exited the singles draw early, though the effect on their rankings varied widely. Maja Chwalińska dropped four places, Magdalena Fręch fell 16 places, while Magda Linette climbed eight places.
WTA Ranking After the US Open
- 1. Jelena Rybakina - 9,201 points
- 2. Aryna Sabalenka - 7,875 points
- 3. Jessica Pegula - 7,265 points
- 4. Coco Gauff - 7,244 points
- 5. Mirra Andreeva - 5,743 points
- 6. Linda Noskova - 5,328 points
- 7. Elina Svitolina - 4,809 points
- 8. Karolina Muchova - 4,683 points
- 9. Iga Świątek - 4,619 points
- 10. Marta Kostyuk - 3,980 points
- 26. Maja Chwalińska - 1,888 points
- 57. Magdalena Fręch - 1,032 points
- 74. Magda Linette - 916 points
What's Next
Most of the leading players, including Świątek, will now take a short break before heading to Beijing. A WTA 500 tournament begins in Guadalajara in a few days, where Fręch will be seeded seventh. An equally important tournament starts in Singapore a week later, where Chwalińska is set to return to the court.
