Road to the WTA Finals: After the long road to No. 1, Elena Rybakina is ready for another title

3m read 06 Nov 2026 16h ago

Editor’s note: Ahead of the year-end tournament, we’re publishing Road to the WTA Finals, an eight-part snapshot of the qualifiers and the form they bring to Indian Wells. Check back all week for new installments.

Fittingly, the final stop on the Road to the 2026 WTA Finals belongs to the player who won the last one. Elena Rybakina arrives in Indian Wells as both the defending champion and the World No. 1, having left Riyadh a year ago unbeaten, with a three-set win over Jessica Pegula in the semifinals and a tight two-setter against Aryna Sabalenka in the final.

She has since turned that week into a season. Rybakina beat Sabalenka again in the Australian Open final, added a clay-court title in Stuttgart and then worked through a demanding fortnight at the US Open, where she needed three sets to get past both Zheng Qinwen and Coco Gauff before outlasting Sabalenka, 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, for her second major of the year.

The top ranking was the reward. When Rybakina officially reached No. 1 on Sept. 14, at 27 years and 89 days, she became the second-oldest player to do so for the first time, behind only Angelique Kerber, and she arrives in California at 54-14 with four titles. Now she can attempt something no one has managed since Serena Williams won three in a row from 2012 to 2014 -- winning the WTA Finals in back-to-back years.

The scorecard

W-L: 54-14
Titles: 4

In a nutshell: Rybakina picked up right where she left off in Riyadh. After winning the WTA Finals last year, she opened 2026 with the Australian Open title, added a Stuttgart trophy on clay and bookended her Grand Slam season with another major at the US Open. That victory sent her to No. 1 for the first time, turning an already impressive year into the best of her career. Rybakina will enter the WTA Finals coming off a title in Ningbo just a few weeks ago.

Beyond the results

The match that defined her year: There were plenty of candidates, but the US Open final offered the clearest snapshot of how far Rybakina had come. She reached it with three-set wins over Zheng Qinwen and Coco Gauff, then went the distance again against Sabalenka, winning 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 for her second major of the year. Rybakina had also beaten Sabalenka in three sets in the Australian Open final; in New York, she did it after surviving two more tough tests to get there.

One number to know: 27 years, 89 days. That was Rybakina’s age when she officially became world No. 1 on Sept. 14, making her the second-oldest player to reach the top for the first time. Only Kerber, at 28 years, 238 days, was older. It took Rybakina a while to get there, but she’s looked right at home since.

The social highlight:

In her words: "I always believed it was possible. … Of course, along your journey, you learn a lot, many things happen. I feel I now have a great team, great people around me, and we just keep working. Finally, everything has paid off.” -- Rybakina after winning the US Open and ascending to the World No. 1.

Hottest hot shot: This was your typical half volley pickup, a lob run down all the way to the baseline, and then a lob of her own sent back over Maria Sakkari, who was left at the net with nothing to do but turn around and watch it land. That was Rybakina in the opening round in Rome back in May, pulling a winner out of a point that she had no business winning -- until she did.

WTA Finals breakdown

Appearances (including 2026): 4
Overall W-L: 7-4
Best result: 2025 champion

What she’s chasing: Rybakina put together a dominant, undefeated campaign at the 2025 WTA Finals in Riyadh, where she opened up with a seamless win against Amanda Anisimova before ultimately taking down Pegula in three sets in the semifinals and Sabalenka in a tight two-setter to win the title.

Now, Rybakina is looking to become the first player since Serena Williams (who won three straight from 2012 to 2014) to win back-to-back WTA Finals.

Matt Wilansky