WTA Race Update: Rybakina takes control after Australian Open, as Swiatek and Gauff sit outside the top 8

The WTA Race to Riyadh was updated after the conclusion of the Australian swing, and who better than Elena Rybakina to take the lead of the 2026 WTA Race. The Australian Open champion sits at the top, leaving Aryna Sabalenka slightly behind — the runner-up in Melbourne on this occasion.

The Race to Riyadh considers only the points obtained during the calendar year — that is, from the start of the 2026 season — unlike the WTA Rankings, which take into account points earned over the last 52 weeks. With just one month of competition completed, Rybakina and Sabalenka are already the undisputed leaders, while other names we are used to seeing near the top — such as Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff — barely remain inside the top 10.

Without a doubt, the Australian Open campaign has been the key element for the Race leaders. Rybakina has reached 2,108 points after winning the title in Melbourne, in addition to earning extra points for reaching the quarterfinals at the Brisbane International. In the case of Sabalenka (1,800), she adds her finalist points from Melbourne to the title she captured at the Brisbane International one week earlier.

Third and fourth place belong to the Melbourne semifinalists. Elina Svitolina (1,030) and Jessica Pegula (975) complete the top four thanks to their respective campaigns at the first Major of the year. In the case of the Ukrainian, she also adds points from the title she won at the ASB Classic in Auckland one week before the start of the Happy Slam.

Teenagers have earned a clear place among the best, and so far in 2026 there are three of them inside the top seven players — trailing only the four Australian Open semifinalists. The top five is completed by 18-year-old Russian Mirra Andreeva (848), who claimed the title at the Adelaide International and also reached the fourth round at the Australian Open. Just behind her is Victoria Mboko (847), runner-up in Adelaide and later eliminated in the same fourth round in Melbourne.

Another rising young star follows: American Iva Jovic, who produced the strongest Australian Open campaign among them, considering that she reached the quarterfinals, in addition to making the final of the Hobart International in the week prior to the Australian Open.

Potentially, if the Race were to end today, Belinda Bencic would be the final qualifier for Riyadh, holding a remarkable 8–1 record at the start of the year. Although she was eliminated in the second round in Melbourne, the Swiss player was flawless at the United Cup, with five consecutive victories that earned her a solid number of points to open the season and had her ranked even higher before the first Grand Slam of the year.

What stands out — despite the fact that only a few weeks of competition have been played — is seeing some of the Tour’s biggest names outside the top eight. In ninth place, in fact, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff appear tied, both with just 580 points, following their campaigns at the United Cup and the Australian Open.

If the season were ending today, neither Swiatek nor Gauff would travel to Riyadh for the WTA Finals — a tournament both have played in each of the last four seasons (five in Swiatek’s case).

Also currently outside qualification is two-time Grand Slam finalist Amanda Anisimova, who sits at No. 11 in the Race with 490 points. The American was eliminated in the quarterfinals in Australia by Jessica Pegula, although she left strong impressions with four straight-set victories and now prepares for the Middle East swing, still viewed as one of the most intimidating names on the Tour.

Other players climbing into the top 15 include Xinyu Wang, Madison Keys, Karolina Muchova and Yulia Putintseva.