With no. 1 in sight, Rybakina staying in the now

By Richard Osborn

Kazakhstani star has chance to overtake Sabalenka in Cincy

Their rivalry has been brewing for a few years now. But it’s only here, in the dog days of summer, that Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina find themselves in a real-time tussle for No. 1 in the PIF WTA Rankings.

Sabalenka, of course, has held down the top spot for the past 96 weeks, a reign that traces all the way back to October 2024. That’s sixth best all time, putting her just behind Hall of Famer Chris Evert on the consecutive-weeks-at-No. 1 honor roll. But since edging Sabalenka in the Australian Open title tilt earlier this year in Melbourne, the 27-year-old Rybakina has been narrowing the gap.

“I didn’t dream about it when I was a kid,” insists the 6-foot Kazakh power-server, the tour leader in aces on the year with 338 and counting. “I didn’t even know that I was going to be professional, so it was not in my head. Right now, I’m also trying not to think about it because there is still a lot of tournament ahead, still a lot of players who can do well. For me, it’s important just to be in the present and try to stay focused.”

She may never have dreamed of it, but on the heels of a runner-up showing at the National Bank Open in Toronto, Rybakina arrived in Cincinnati with a legitimate shot at the WTA throne. A semifinalist at the Lindner Family Tennis Center last year, Rybakina has claimed the most WTA 1000 match wins (24) and the most tour-level match wins on hard courts (28) of any player this year. Overall, she’s won 41 singles matches in 2026, trailing only American Jessica Pegula (42).

“Her serve is just so good. Even when she’s not necessarily having a good serving day, it’s still probably better than most,” said Pegula, a Cincinnati Open finalist in 2024. “It’s really tough to play someone who’s serving that well. She returns well, too. She has a big game. She plays pretty aggressively. When she can find that confidence on her serve and she’s holding easy, it puts a lot of pressure on the server. All she has to do is make a couple of good returns, and all of a sudden you’re like, ‘Oh, no. If I don’t hold here, it’s going to be really hard for me to break her.’”

“She’s really good at first-strike tennis, has really good hands, she’s pretty good at the net. She slices, does a lot of intangibles really well, which I don’t think people give her as much credit for,” added Pegula. “She’s a really good all-around player.”

The defending Cincinnati Open champion Iga Swiatek, who got the best of Rybakina in last week’s Toronto final, 6-2, 6-3, has long been aware of her tour foe’s abilities.

“She can win easy points with her serve, and sometimes that’s a little bit annoying, because you need to keep holding serve yourself,” said the Pole, who spent a total of 125 weeks at No. 1. “She has really clean technique. There aren’t many situations on the court where you can find a weak spot, even though she doesn’t have one particular shot that stands out other than the serve.’

“She’s really solid from both sides and has great touch, so I feel like she’s a really complete player. Even though she’s tall, she moves really well. She covers the court really well. Everything, you know? That’s why she’s been in the Top 5 for years and has the game to be No. 1.”

The top-seeded Sabalenka controls her own destiny in Cincinnati. Should she go on to win the Rookwood Cup, joining Serena Williams (2014-15) and Victoria Azarenka (2013, 2020) as the only two-time tournament titlists, she’ll extend her stay atop the charts. But if she exits early, and Rybakina goes on to win it all, we’ll have a transfer of power.

Not that Elena Rybakina has ever dared to dream of it.