WTA Race Update: Teenagers Mirra Andreeva and Victoria Mboko set the pace in early-season standings

The WTA Race already has two clear leaders: teenagers Mirra Andreeva (738 points) and Victoria Mboko (737), who, after strong early-season campaigns, are currently leading the points standings in 2026. The two players contested the final of the Adelaide International, where the Russian emerged as champion, and both are now also through to the third round of the Australian Open.

It is worth remembering that the WTA Race only measures points earned during the calendar year – from the start of the 2026 season – which makes it a more accurate reflection of players’ current form, unlike the WTA Rankings, which take into account the last 52 weeks. The Race will determine the eight players who qualify for the WTA Finals at the end of the year, as well as the year-end ranking positions for the rest of the tour.

Behind teenage leaders Andreeva and Mboko, Aryna Sabalenka currently sits in third place (630 points), closing in on the top of the Race thanks to her perfect start to the season (7–0). The world No. 1 has already claimed the Brisbane International title and is also through to the third round of the Australian Open after defeating Rakotomanga and Bai, both in straight sets.

Slightly further down is Belinda Bencic (624), who earned 500 points from her flawless campaign at the United Cup and currently holds a 6–0 record, including her opening-round win at the Australian Open. Should Bencic manage to reach the third round – like Andreeva, Mboko and Sabalenka – she would move into first place in the Race.

In fifth place sits perhaps the biggest surprise of the season so far: Australian Kimberly Birrell (400). Birrell reached the final of the WTA 125 Maharashtra Open at the end of last year (shortly after the 2025 Race closed, meaning those points count toward the 2026 Race), and also reached the semifinals in Adelaide one week ago. Despite being eliminated in the first round of the Australian Open, she is guaranteed to remain at least inside the top 15 after the season’s first major.

The rest of the top 10 remains tightly packed, with major changes expected once the first Grand Slam of the year concludes. The next positions are occupied by Iva Jovic (6th, 391 points), Diana Shnaider (7th, 385 points) and Elina Svitolina (8th, 380 points). All three players have enjoyed strong starts to the season: Jovic reached the final of the Hobart Open, Shnaider made the semifinals in Brisbane, and Svitolina captured the title in Auckland. All three are also through to the Round of 32 in Melbourne, meaning they could continue climbing the Race quickly.

Rounding out the top 10 for now are Elisabetta Cocciaretto (9th, 338 points) – champion in Hobart last week – and Marta Kostyuk (10th, 335 points), runner-up at the Brisbane International. In the cases of Cocciaretto and Kostyuk, both were eliminated in the first round of the Australian Open, making it likely they will drop out of the top 10 in the coming days. Even so, they should remain in relatively high positions despite their early exits in Australia.

Several names are closely threatening to break into the top 10, including Karolina Muchova (325), Janice Tjen (322) and Yulia Putintseva (314), followed by a strong American contingent featuring Madison Keys (286), Coco Gauff (280) and Jessica Pegula (265).

There have been several players who have climbed positions early in the year, following Adelaide and Hobart last week as well as the opening rounds of the Australian Open. These include Magda Linette (19th), Zeynep Sönmez (24th) and Elena-Gabriela Ruse (30th).

However, some elite names still find themselves far from the top positions and will need a strong run in Melbourne if they want to move quickly into the upper zone. Iga Swiatek is currently only 20th in the Race, Elena Rybakina sits 32nd, Jasmine Paolini 37th and Amanda Anisimova 50th.