Elena Rybakina is on track to finish the season as the WTA year-end number one, after an incredibly successful 2026 campaign.

While it has not been the most consistent season, the Kazakh star has peaked at the most important moments, with two of her three titles this year being captured at Grand Slams. Rybakina won her second major crown at the Australian Open back in January, and recently clinched her third at the US Open.

The 27-year-old, who leapfrogged Aryna Sabalenka to reach the top spot in the WTA rankings, is now in Ningbo for one of her last tournaments of the season.

Elena Rybakina reviews her 2026 season on the WTA Tour

Asked in an interview with WTA if the 2026 season has been the best campaign of her career, Rybakina said: “I think in terms of the results and what I achieved this year, it’s definitely the best one. Two Grand Slams and being number one, reaching this goal.

“It’s now just a matter of finishing strong, but I think that for now that’s the best year. Last season was quite difficult, and of course I started to play much better at the end of the season. I started to turn around the matches which were always close before, and I was losing in three sets.

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“In the end of the year I started to win and I kept on going and following the WTA finals, then Australian Open title and some success on the other tournaments. Then again it was a bit of a drop and of course winning the US Open is something amazing and very important.

“So I feel like it was a really successful year, I can’t complain. Now I’m just happy being here in Ningbo again, remembering the previous memories and hoping that I can finish the year strong and be at my best at the final eight.”

Elena Rybakina’s next match at the 2026 Ningbo Open

After receiving a bye in the opening round of the 2026 Ningbo Open, it didn’t take long for Rybakina to advance to the quarterfinals of the WTA 500 tournament. In her first match, she faced 23-year-old qualifier Polina Kudermetova.

Rybakina was up 5-0 in the first set before Kudermetova was forced to retire due to an injury. Rybakina, the defending champion at the Ningbo Open, will now take on Katarzyna Kawa, who eliminated fifth seed Belinda Bencic.

Should she advance to the semifinals in Ningbo, Rybakina will take on either Roland Garros semifinalist Diana Shnaider or 18-year-old American star Iva Jovic. Rybakina has never lost at the Ningbo Open, having won the event on her tournament debut last year.