Elena Rybakina reached a milestone this week: her 100th career week inside the WTA Top 5. It is also her third week at a career-high of No. 2.

Rybakina captured the second Grand Slam title of her career at the Australian Open earlier this year and lifted her ranking to No. 2 after a strong start to 2026. Her first entry into the Top 5 came on May 22nd, 2023, when she rose from No. 6 to No. 4 after winning the WTA 1000 event in Rome. That opening spell lasted 77 consecutive weeks before she dipped out on November 10th, 2024.

She returned to the Top 5 for two weeks from January 27th to February 9th, 2025, immediately following the Australian Open. A difficult portion of 2025 saw her struggle for consistency and even fall out of the Top 10. The season shifted after Wimbledon, however. Rybakina reached three straight semifinals in Washington D.C., Canada and Cincinnati, then closed 2025 on an 11-match winning streak that included winning the WTA Finals.

That unbeaten run in Riyadh carried her back into the Top 5, moving her from No. 6 to No. 5. This week marks her 21st consecutive week in the elite since that return, bringing her career total to 100 weeks.

Rybakina has maintained much of that late-2025 form into early 2026. Her best results so far this season are the title in Melbourne and a run to the final at Indian Wells. At Indian Wells she held match point against Aryna Sabalenka before finishing runner-up to the world No. 1 in a third set tie-break, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6). After Indian Wells, Rybakina rose to No. 2.

She remains 2,917 points behind Sabalenka in the rankings, 11,025 to 8,108. The upcoming clay-court season presents an opportunity for Rybakina to press for the top ranking.

Elena Rybakina reached a milestone this week: her 100th career week inside the WTA Top 5. It is also her third week at a career-high ranking of No. 2.

Rybakina earned a second Grand Slam title at the Australian Open earlier this year and moved to her new career-high following strong early-2026 form. Her first entry into the Top 5 came on May 22, 2023, when she rose from No. 6 to No. 4 after winning the WTA 1000 event in Rome. That initial run stretched to 77 consecutive weeks before she dipped out on November 10, 2024.

She returned to the elite for two weeks from January 27 to February 9, 2025, immediately after the Australian Open. A difficult stretch for much of 2025 saw Rybakina struggle for consistency and fall out of the Top 10, but her season turned after Wimbledon. She reached three straight semifinals in Washington D.C., Canada and Cincinnati, then closed 2025 on an 11-match winning streak that included the WTA Finals.

That undefeated run in Riyadh carried her back into the Top 5, moving her from No. 6 to No. 5. This week marks her 21st consecutive week in the Top 5 since that return, bringing her overall total to 100 weeks.

Rybakina has extended much of that late-2025 momentum into 2026. The highlights so far this season are her title run in Melbourne and a run to the final at Indian Wells. At Indian Wells she held match point against Aryna Sabalenka before finishing runner-up to the world No. 1 in a third set tie-break, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6). After Indian Wells, Rybakina rose to No. 2.

She remains behind Sabalenka in the rankings by 2,917 points, 11,025 to 8,108, but the coming clay-court season presents an opportunity for Rybakina to press for the top ranking.

Aryna Sabalenka has extended her hold on the WTA’s top ranking into a 76th consecutive week, moving into sole possession of the third-longest run at No. 1 this century. Her latest milestone edges past Iga Swiatek’s 75-week streak between 2022 and 2023.

The rise comes immediately after an outstanding Sunshine Swing. Sabalenka became just the fifth woman to complete the Sunshine Double after winning Indian Wells for the first time and Miami for the second consecutive year. That sequence helped cement her place atop the rankings and pushed her career total to 84 weeks at No. 1.

Sabalenka first reached No. 1 for eight weeks in 2023 and then began her second and current stint on October 21st, 2024. Her 76-week run now places her alone third for longest uninterrupted runs at No. 1 since 2000, behind only Serena Williams and Ashleigh Barty. In the WTA’s full historical list dating to 1975, this stretch is tied for the 11th-longest overall.

Form on court has matched the ranking. Sabalenka is 23-1 this year with three titles and has reached the final at each of her last five tournaments. She has not lost before the quarterfinals of any event in more than a year.

As the tour moves toward clay, Sabalenka carries a substantial lead in the standings, ahead by 2,917 points over world No. 2 Elena Rybakina. That cushion may be tested on clay: Sabalenka collected 2,840 clay-court points last year, winning Madrid, reaching the finals at Stuttgart and Roland Garros and making a quarterfinal in Rome. By contrast, Rybakina earned 870 clay points last year, taking a WTA 500 title in Strasbourg but failing to reach the quarterfinals at Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros.

The combination of recent form and a commanding points margin leaves Sabalenka well positioned as the clay season begins, while historical milestones continue to accumulate.