Tokyo:Kazakh tennis player Elena Rybakina has secured the year-end world number one ranking for 2026 after advancing to the quarter-finals of the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, Japan. Rybakina achieved this milestone by defeating fellow Kazakh Yulia Putintseva in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3, during the round of 16.
According to Bahrain News Agency, Rybakina's performance this season, which includes winning the Australian Open and US Open titles, has solidified her position at the top of the women's world rankings. The 27-year-old player, who has previously won Wimbledon, is now just one title away from achieving a career Grand Slam, with only the French Open, also known as Roland-Garros, remaining.
In other developments at the tournament, Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka was eliminated in the round of 16 after a defeat by young Slovakian player Mia Pohankova. Pohankova, who recently turned 18 and entered the tournament as a wildcard, won the match in straight sets, 6-3, 7-5, and progressed to the quarter-finals to face American Alycia Parks.