With the US Open in the books, the 2026 Grand Slam season has come to an end — and its singles and doubles champions have both marked the occasion with milestones atop the PIF WTA Rankings.<\/p>\n
Singles champion Elena Rybakina captured her third Grand Slam title and second of the year, following her Australian Open triumph in January. This week, she rises one place from No. 2 to become the 30th World No. 1 in WTA rankings history.<\/p>\n
Rybakina defeated defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in the finals of both hard-court majors this season. Her latest victory ends Sabalenka\u2019s 99-week stint at the top and puts Rybakina in the No. 1 spot for the first time.<\/p>\n
Elena Rybakina: Stepping stones to World No. 1<\/p>\n
The race for No. 1 was tight heading into Flushing Meadows, with Rybakina, Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff all in contention. Rybakina secured the ranking by reaching the semifinals, then defeated Gauff and Sabalenka in consecutive three-setters to win her first title since Stuttgart in April.<\/p>\n
She is one of three players with three titles in 2026, alongside Sabalenka and Roland Garros champion Mirra Andreeva.<\/p>\n
Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend won their first US Open doubles title together, completing the Career Grand Slam as a team. Siniakova also became the first player in the Open Era to complete the Career Slam with two different partners, having first done so with Barbora Krejcikova in 2022.<\/p>\n
This week, Siniakova reaches 200 total weeks as doubles World No. 1, passing Liezel Huber\u2019s 199 for the second-most all time. Only Martina Navratilova, with 237 weeks, has spent more time at the top.<\/p>\n
The best of Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend in 2026<\/p>\n
Kostyuk makes Top 10 debut, Starodubtseva enters Top 50<\/p>\n
Roland Garros and Wimbledon semifinalist Marta Kostyuk continued her career-best season by reaching the US Open fourth round for the second time — and this week, she’s rewarded with her Top 10 debut, climbing one place from No. 11 to No. 10. The 24-year-old becomes the second Ukrainian in the Open Era to reach the Top 10, following Elina Svitolina (who is up two places to No. 7 this week). Kostyuk is the third player to make her Top 10 debut in 2026, following Victoria Mboko and Linda Noskova.<\/p>\n
She’s not the only Ukrainian hitting a significant milestone this week. Charleston finalist Yuliia Starodubtseva made the third round of the US Open after saving three match points to defeat Maria Sakkari in the second round, and vaults 15 places from No. 58 to make her Top 50 debut at No. 43.<\/p>\n
There are now six Ukrainian players in the Top 50 — Svitolina, Kostyuk, No. 41 Oleksandra Oliynykova, No. 42 Daria Snigur, Starodubtseva and No. 47 Anhelina Kalinina. Four of them — Kostyuk, Oliynykova, Snigur and Starodubtseva — have achieved a new career high this week.<\/p>\n
Zheng soars 69 places to return to Top 100<\/p>\n
One of the most compelling performances in New York came courtesy of 2024 Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen. Just over a year ago, she underwent elbow surgery; her initial return to action in Beijing last September proved to be too early, and the Chinese player’s comeback only began in earnest this February in Doha. She compiled an 11-13 record through Toronto, where she lost her qualifying opener to Lanlana Tararudee, and her ranking slipped from a career high of No. 4 to a low of No. 160 in June.<\/p>\n
That meant Zheng had to play the US Open qualifiers just to make the main draw — the first time she had done so at a major since the 2022 Australian Open. She succeeded, then came through a succession of riveting matches to make the quarterfinals: a first-round comeback from a set down against 16-year-old phenom Kristina Liutova, a three-set second-round battle over Yulia Putintseva, an astonishing comeback from 5-0 down in the decider to defeat Madison Keys in the third round (saving a match point), then a second consecutive set won from 5-0 down en route to upsetting Iga Swiatek in the fourth round. The last of those was Zheng’s first Top 10 win since Rome 2025, where she felled Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals.<\/p>\n
The 24-year-old reclaims her position in the Top 100 this week with a 69-spot jump from No. 121 to No. 52.<\/p>\n
Pliskova returns to Top 50, Kenin back in Top 100<\/p>\n
Former World No. 1 Karolina Pliskova began 2026 outside the Top 1,000 as she embarked on a comeback from foot surgery last year. This week, she returns to the Top 50 for the first time since February 2025, climbing 12 places from No. 57 to No. 45. The Czech reached the second round of the US Open after saving one match point against Hanne Vandewinkel in the first round.<\/p>\n
Sofia Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion, also bounces back into the Top 100 this week, climbing 10 places from No. 110 to No. 100. Kenin won a first-round tie of American major champions against Venus Williams to make the US Open second round.<\/p>\n
Liu, Ferro, Dencheva boosted by WTA 125 titles<\/p>\n
Three WTA 125 events took place last week — in Barranquilla, Colombia on hard courts and in Montreux, Switzerland and Antalya, Turkey on clay.<\/p>\n
Claire Liu captured the Barranquilla title, edging Anna Blinkova 6-0, 2-6, 7-5 in the final for her second WTA 125 crown (following Paris 2022). The 26-year-old American returns to the Top 100 for the first time since February 2024 with a 15-spot jump from No. 111 to No. 96. Blinkova inches up one place to No. 94, while semifinalist Leolia Jeanjean rises 19 spots to No. 108.<\/p>\n
Former No. 39 Fiona Ferro is on a 10-match winning streak after sweeping the Saint-Palais W50 and Montreux WTA 125 titles back-to-back over the past two weeks. The 29-year-old defeated Noma Noha Akugue 6-1, 6-2 in the Montreux final, and has now won 18 of her past 21 matches (including back-to-back runner-up showings at the Palermo WTA 125 and Hechingen W75 in July). Ferro rises 34 places from No. 141 to No. 107, while Noha Akugue climbs 13 spots to a new career high of No. 124.<\/p>\n
In Antalya, teenage qualifier Rositsa Dencheva put together a surprise title run that included a 7-6(5), 5-7, 6-4 second-round upset of top seed Francesca Jones and a 7-5, 6-4 defeat of Alevtina Ibragimova in the final. The 19-year-old Bulgarian, a former Top 20 junior, extended her 2026 record to 43-11 with the biggest trophy of her career to date, and soars 79 places from No. 280 to a new career high of No. 201. Ibragimova, who made the second round of Iasi on her tour-level debut in July, also hits a new career high, rising 53 places from No. 219 to No. 166.<\/p>\n
Other notable rankings movements<\/p>\n
Sorana Cirstea, +2 to No. 15:\u00a0After announcing that 2026 would be her final year on tour, Cirstea has gone from strength to strength. The 36-year-old is up to a new career high after making the US Open fourth round for the second time.<\/p>\n
Emma Navarro, +3 to No. 24:\u00a0Former No. 8 Navarro claimed her third Top 10 win of 2026 over Karolina Muchova in the US Open third round, then went on to reach her fourth career Grand Slam quarterfinal.<\/p>\n
Diane Parry, +1 to No. 30:\u00a0After winning her maiden WTA title in Monterrey, the Frenchwoman made the US Open second round. She makes her Top 30 debut this week.<\/p>\n
Kimberly Birrell, +15 to No. 56:\u00a0Birrell saved one match point against Petra Marcinko to make the US Open second round, and rises to a new career high.<\/p>\n
Kamilla Rakhimova, +16 to No. 76:\u00a0Rakhimova’s career high is just No. 60, but the 25-year-old’s third-round run at the US Open was the fourth time she’s made that stage of a major. This time, Rakhimova became just the third player representing Uzbekistan to reach a Grand Slam third round, and first since Akgul Amanmuradova at the 2011 US Open.<\/p>\n
Kristina Liutova, +11 to No. 114:\u00a0After winning the Memphis title on her WTA debut, 16-year-old Liutova extended her winning streak to nine matches by coming through US Open qualifying in her first major appearance, before taking eventual quarterfinalist Zheng Qinwen to three sets in the first round. Liutova is up to another new career high.<\/p>\n
Himeno Sakatsume, +29 to No. 115:\u00a0The Japanese 25-year-old qualified and made the second round of the US Open, defeating Anhelina Kalinina for her first Grand Slam main-draw win. She’s up to a new career high this week.<\/p>\n
Polina Iatcenko, +22 to No. 138:\u00a0Iatcenko qualified for her first Grand Slam main draw at the US Open, then edged Renata Zarazua 4-6, 6-4, 7-6[7] in the first round — at 3 hours and 27 minutes, the longest match of the tournament. The 22-year-old climbs to a new career high.<\/p>\n
Alexandra Shubladze, +33 to No. 157:\u00a0The 21-year-old picked up her fifth World Tennis title of the year last week at the Guiyang W50, extending her 2026 record to 48-13 and rising to a new career high.<\/p>\n
Joanna Garland, +34 to No. 168:\u00a0Chinese Taipei’s Garland claimed the Tianjin W75 title two weeks ago to return to the Top 200.<\/p>\n
Sloane Stephens, +40 to No. 169:\u00a0Former US Open champion Stephens defeated Clara Tauson to make this year’s second round — her first Grand Slam main-draw win since Wimbledon 2024. The 33-year-old returns to the Top 200 for the first time since April 2025.<\/p>\n
Lucie Havlickova, +43 to No. 183:\u00a0Former junior No. 1 Havlickova first cracked the Top 200 in 2023 as an 18-year-old, but then stepped away from the game for a year in 2024. On her return in June 2025, the Czech player was unranked; just 15 months later, she’s sealed a new career high after qualifying for her first Grand Slam main draw at the US Open.<\/p>\n
Julieta Pareja, +33 to No. 255:\u00a0The highest-ranked 2009-born player, 17-year-old American Pareja reached the final round of US Open qualifying, and climbs to a new career high.<\/p>\n
Clara Burel, +115 to No. 301:\u00a0Former No. 42 Burel continued her comeback from an ACL injury by reaching the US Open qualifying second round, the Saint-Palais W50 final and the Montreux WTA 125 quarterfinals over the past three weeks.<\/p>\n
Nadia Podoroska, +132 to No. 317:\u00a0Former Roland Garros semifinalist Podoroska started 2026 outside the Top 1,000 as she embarked on a comeback from a hip injury. She defeated Simona Waltert to make the US Open second round — her first Grand Slam main-draw win since the 2024 Australian Open — then also made the second round of the Barranquilla WTA 125.<\/p>\n
Hannah Klugman, +97 to No. 342:\u00a0The 17-year-old Briton claimed the first professional title of her career two weeks ago at the Leiria W50, and rises to a new career high.<\/p>\n
Anastasija Cvetkovic, +251 to No. 557:\u00a0Former junior No. 8 Cvetkovic came through qualifying to win her first W35 title in Verbier three weeks ago. The 18-year-old Serb soars to a new career high.<\/p>\n
Kristina Penickova, +122 to No. 627:\u00a0The 17-year-old American upset Elizabeth Mandlik to reach the second round of US Open qualifying before falling to Harriet Dart in three sets. Penickova went on to claim the girls’ doubles title alongside twin sister Annika.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With the US Open in the books, the 2026 Grand Slam season has come to an end —…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":770481,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[101,118,1602,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-770480","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tennis","tag-sports","tag-tennis","tag-text","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/770480","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=770480"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/770480\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/770481"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=770480"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=770480"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=770480"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}