We reached mid-February and the WTA season continues advancing, with the prize money leaders updating with several movements – especially after the first WTA 1000 of the year at the Qatar Open, where Czech player Karolina Muchova ended up claiming the title by defeating teenager Victoria Mboko in the final.
Precisely Muchova and Mboko are the names that benefited the most in terms of prize money this past week, moving into the top-6 – only behind the 5 current leaders of the Tour (both in ranking and prize money).
The first place is held by Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina, who even increased her distance over her immediate pursuers following a deep run in Doha.
2026 Aussie Open champion Elena Rybakina surpasses $2.8M
The Kazakh reached the quarterfinals in Brisbane and Doha, in addition to her title at the first major of the year. Although her 9-match winning streak was cut, she remains more than $1 million ahead of second place Aryan Sabalenka ($1.6M) – and with the Belarusian’s absence confirmed in Dubai this week, the gaps will be even larger next week.
In any case, the podium remains intact with the same protagonists, with Coco Gauff staying in third place, practically tied with Iga Swiatek (with less than $1,000 difference). The American was eliminated early in the first round in Qatar and saw Swiatek closing in – threatening to push her out of the top-3.
Despite doubts about the Polish player’s level, she reached the quarterfinals in Qatar, earning her almost $100K to add to her wallet and allowing her to surpass $1 million in earnings this week.
Read also
Muchova and Mboko surge into top-6 after Qatar Open final
In fact, there are only 6 players who have already surpassed $1 million in earnings – the last two to achieve it were precisely the protagonists of the Doha final. Muchova finally lifted her first WTA 1000 title and only the second trophy of her career, which earned her more than $600K in prize money – quickly placing her inside the top-5 in prize money for the season.
The runner-up, Mboko, took $385K in what was her second final of the year, rising to the top-6. For the Canadian, she totals $986K in singles earnings – but a couple of doubles appearances give her a final boost to surpass the $1 million mark this year.
Svitolina and Pegula maintain strong start
In the top-10, doubles world No. 1 Elise Mertens sneaks in – accumulating almost $300K in doubles earnings, which add to her nearly $650K in singles. The Belgian has been consistent in singles and dominant in doubles. If we considered only her singles performance, she would barely make the top-10 – which is already notable for Mertens – but combined with her strong doubles presence, she is able to rise much higher.
Lower down is Belinda Bencic – largely thanks to her remarkable campaign at the United Cup – and closing the top-10 are the Australian Open semifinalists: Jessica Pegula and Elina Svitolina, who have been consistent at the start of the year – especially the Ukrainian, who also won her first title of the season at the WTA 250 ASB Classic earlier this year.
Year to Date Prize Money Leaders
| Standing | Name | Singles | Doubles | Total |
| 1 | Elena Rybakina | 2,82M | 2,82M | |
| 2 | Aryna Sabalenka | 1,61M | 7,8K | 1,61M |
| 3 | Coco Gauff | 1,07M | 5,8K | 1,07M |
| 4 | Iga Swiatek | 1,07M | 1,07M | |
| 5 | Karolina Muchova | 1,05M | 7,8K | 1,06M |
| 6 | Victoria Mboko | 986K | 26K | 1,01M |
| 7 | Elise Mertens | 649K | 291K | 941K |
| 8 | Belinda Bencic | 932K | 932K | |
| 9 | Jessica Pegula | 886K | 14K | 901K |
| 10 | Elina Svitolina | 896K | 1K | 897K |
| 11 | Mirra Andreeva | 583K | 7,8K | 591K |
| 12 | Jasmine Paolini | 539K | 50K | 589K |
| 13 | Jelena Ostapenko | 387K | 160K | 547K |
| 14 | Iva Jovic | 520K | 23K | 543K |
| 15 | Amanda Anisimova | 531K | 531K | |
| 16 | Maria Sakkari | 497K | 497K | |
| 17 | Barbora Krejcikova | 446K | 14K | 460K |
| 18 | Shuai Zhang | 121K | 333K | 454K |
| 19 | Xinyu Wang | 370K | 26K | 396K |
| 20 | Naomi Osaka | 382K | 382K | |
| 21 | Madison Keys | 382K | 382K | |
| 22 | Clara Tauson | 323K | 45K | 368K |
| 23 | Anna Kalinskaya | 342K | 14K | 356K |
| 24 | Yulia Putintseva | 342K | 342K | |
| 25 | Diana Shnaider | 316K | 23K | 339K |
| 26 | Maddison Inglis | 311K | 14K | 325K |
| 27 | Ekaterina Alexandrova | 270K | 53K | 323K |
| 28 | Hailey Baptiste | 293K | 30K | 323K |
| 29 | Maya Joint | 234K | 79K | 313K |
| 30 | Sara Bejlek | 287K | 14K | 301K |
| 31 | Emma Raducanu | 299K | 299K | |
| 32 | Storm Hunter | 249K | 45K | 294K |
| 33 | Aleksandra Krunic | 10K | 280K | 291K |
| 34 | Linda Noskova | 258K | 25K | 283K |
| 35 | Anna Danilina | 280K | 280K | |
| 36 | Katerina Siniakova | 189K | 91K | 280K |
| 37 | Tereza Valentova | 268K | 9K | 277K |
| 38 | Magda Linette | 252K | 22K | 274K |
| 39 | Peyton Stearns | 238K | 30K | 268K |
| 40 | Anastasia Potapova | 246K | 21K | 266K |
| 41 | Karolina Pliskova | 265K | 265K | |
| 42 | Zeynep Sonmez | 253K | 253K | |
| 43 | Elisabetta Cocciaretto | 237K | 14K | 252K |
| 44 | Kimberly Birrell | 188K | 60K | 248K |
| 45 | Elena-Gabriela Ruse | 240K | 2K | 242K |
| 46 | Jessica Bouzas Maneiro | 223K | 14K | 238K |
| 47 | Oksana Selekhmeteva | 233K | 233K | |
| 48 | Liudmila Samsonova | 201K | 32K | 232K |
| 49 | Marta Kostyuk | 232K | 232K | |
| 50 | Solana Sierra | 216K | 15K | 231K |
| 51 | Marie Bouzkova | 195K | 35K | 230K |
| 52 | Talia Gibson | 172K | 58K | 230K |
| 53 | Janice Tjen | 196K | 34K | 230K |
| 54 | Sorana Cirstea | 212K | 14K | 226K |
| 55 | Ann Li | 211K | 14K | 225K |
| 56 | Cristina Bucsa | 142K | 81K | 223K |
| 57 | Eva Lys | 208K | 14K | 222K |
| 58 | Nikola Bartunkova | 221K | 221K | |
| 59 | Elsa Jacquemot | 193K | 26K | 220K |
| 60 | McCartney Kessler | 197K | 14K | 212K |
| 61 | Laura Siegemund | 168K | 42K | 210K |
| 62 | Sofia Kenin | 155K | 55K | 210K |
| 63 | Daria Kasatkina | 189K | 21K | 210K |
| 64 | Varvara Gracheva | 201K | 201K | |
| 65 | Paula Badosa | 191K | 7,8K | 199K |
| 66 | Alycia Parks | 184K | 14K | 198K |
| 67 | Taylah Preston | 172K | 22K | 194K |
| 68 | Alexandra Eala | 166K | 27K | 193K |
| 69 | Priscilla Hon | 171K | 22K | 193K |
| 70 | Leylah Fernandez | 160K | 32K | 192K |
| 71 | Dayana Yastremska | 174K | 18K | 191K |
| 72 | Magdalena Frech | 190K | 190K | |
| 73 | Ashlyn Krueger | 175K | 14K | 189K |
| 74 | Anna Bondar | 169K | 15K | 184K |
| 75 | Camila Osorio | 168K | 14K | 182K |
| 76 | Jaqueline Cristian | 165K | 16K | 182K |
| 77 | Emma Navarro | 178K | 178K | |
| 78 | Olga Danilovic | 157K | 21K | 178K |
| 79 | Ajla Tomljanovic | 177K | 177K | |
| 80 | Caty McNally | 159K | 16K | 175K |
| 81 | Moyuka Uchijima | 172K | 172K | |
| 82 | Sonay Kartal | 157K | 14K | 172K |
| 83 | Polina Kudermetova | 167K | 0,6K | 168K |
| 84 | Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova | 140K | 21K | 161K |
| 85 | Julia Grabher | 160K | 160K | |
| 86 | Suzan Lamens | 145K | 14K | 159K |
| 87 | Emiliana Arango | 135K | 22K | 156K |
| 88 | Su-Wei Hsieh | 154K | 154K | |
| 89 | Vera Zvonareva | 50K | 104K | 154K |
| 90 | Linda Fruhvirtova | 153K | 153K | |
| 91 | Petra Marcinko | 152K | 152K | |
| 92 | Tatjana Maria | 138K | 14K | 152K |
| 93 | Linda Klimovicova | 150K | 150K | |
| 94 | Renata Zarazua | 134K | 16K | 150K |
| 95 | Emerson Jones | 134K | 14K | 148K |
| 96 | Taylor Townsend | 97K | 51K | 148K |
| 97 | Kamilla Rakhimova | 119K | 28K | 146K |
| 98 | Zhuoxuan Bai | 146K | 146K | |
| 99 | Simona Waltert | 131K | 14K | 145K |
| 100 | Beatriz Haddad Maia | 141K | 141K |
Cristhián AvilaTennis Journalist
Cristhián Ávila is a tennis journalist based in Santiago, Chile, and has been part of the TennisUpToDate team since early 2023. He covers the ATP and WTA Tours as well as all four Grand Slams, producing breaking news, match reports, analysis, and regular liveblogs from major tournaments.
His reporting combines statistical analysis with clear explanation, helping readers understand tactical developments, player form, and broader storylines across the tour. Working fluently in both Spanish and English, Cristhián collaborates with an international editorial team and contributes to comprehensive global coverage. As part of his work, he has conducted interviews and media interactions with leading figures in the sport, including Caroline Wozniacki and John McEnroe.
In his journalism, Cristhián places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. His coverage is grounded in research, context, and direct engagement with professional tennis.
claps 0visitors 0
Just In
Popular News
Latest Comments
- Either Lena has a chronic internal ailment (i.e., colitis, enteritis, Crohn's, or some type of lower abdomen issue) -- or she is once again dealing with 'Vukovitis'. Mental stress can indeed cause lower body pains. No matter... whatever is truly going on sucks. "Virus" excuse is getting a bit old -- and often -- at this point.
mandoist09-11-2026 - Ironically, Martina became a U.S. Citizen about the same time as the Orange Convicted Felon & Abuser was just beginning on his road to losing all Daddy's Millions!!mandoist09-11-2026
- "Another fresh start is in the cards." Thanks for the Humor!! I'm guessing this is the minimum one can do to keep all your sponsors hanging-on in perpetuity?mandoist09-11-2026
- Vukov is doing this to Lena... AGAIN!!!!! WTA's autonomous collective should be dismantled for allowing Vukov to re-emerge from his hand-slapping suspension. Just ask WTA employees how that's been going lately as they witness his continued verbal abuses. Women's Pro Tennis should start over.mandoist08-11-2026
- Can't help but suspect Vukov is back to his old self again. Thank you, WTA. Perhaps you can give them a "Battling Couple of the Year Award 2026" ??mandoist08-11-2026
- Wtf? Why is there no reason? And what about the men's?Bel08-11-2026
- One step by another step -- WTA continues to 'lose the plot'. Too many hi-tech microphones being installed at most venues!!! Remove them (especially those along the hallways, sidewalks, and pathways throughout the venues. Not to mention (most of all) remove the mic's from the Players/Coaches Box.mandoist06-11-2026
- Enough of her bullshit. Go marry someone.mandoist06-11-2026
- Don't you just love this young lady!? We fans often expect athletes to be supermen and superwomen, often forgetting that they WILL GET TIRED! I love Alex's perspective. Tiredness for an athlete should never be viewed as a negative, especially if you are healthy, taking care of your body and mental health and putting in the work. What a mature perspective. Good for you, Alex!Rapunzel05-11-2026
- Jess is absolutely correct! But the disrespect is a trait I have noticed in most of the Russian players. Mirra is good but very immature and lacks humility. Conceivable needs to get a handle on that!Rapunzel05-11-2026
