TOKYO (AP) — Top-ranked Elena Rybakina secured the year-end No. 1 ranking with a last-16 win at the Pan Pacific Open on Thursday, while Naomi Osaka lost in front of her home crowd.
Rybakina beat Yulia Putintseva 6-2, 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals and will stay the world No. 1 at the conclusion of a year in which she won two Grand Slams — the Australian Open and the U.S. Open.
Having won Wimbledon in 2022, Rybakina — a 27-year-old born in Russia
but representing Kazakhstan — is only a French Open title away from completing the career Grand Slam.
She described her year-end status as “an incredibly special moment for me.”
“I’m really proud of what I’ve achieved this season and the consistency I’ve shown throughout the year,” said Rybakina, who also won titles in Stuttgart and Ningbo and rose to No. 1 in the world for the first time by winning the U.S. Open.
Rybakina will be honored with a trophy to mark the achievement during a special presentation at the WTA Finals in Indian Wells from Nov. 8-15.
Osaka, a former No. 1 and four-time major winner, lost to Slovakian teenager Mia Pohankova 6-3, 7-5 in an upset.
Pohankova, a wild-card entry who turned 18 a week ago and was the 2025 junior singles champion at Wimbledon, will face Alycia Parks next.
Osaka was coming off a win over Jasmine Paolini in the first round in Tokyo.
In another round-of-16 match, Leylah Fernandez defeated No. 14 Elise Mertens 6-2, 7-6 (8).
Second-seeded Maja Chwalinska and Belinda Bencic pulled out of the tournament earlier with injuries. Chwalinska had an injured left thigh and Bencic had a right-ankle injury.
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