The tennis season is rapidly racing towards a conclusion, but there are still some big prizes to chase before the final ball is struck at the WTA Finals at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in mid-November.
Elena Rybakina confirmed she will end 2026 with the most Grand Slam titles when she added the US Open crown to the Australian Open title she won in January by beating her biggest rival Aryna Sabelenka in the final in New York last month.
Now Rybakina will be keen to add the finishing touches to her year by wrapping up the year-end world No 1 rankings and she will also be eager to defend her WTA Finals title.
There are also big targets to chase for players lower down the rankings, with Alex Eala and Emma Raducanu among those with plenty to play for.
Here is your Tennis365 rankings predictions for the rest of the tennis season.
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Battle for world No 1
The race for the No 1 appears to be Elena Rybakina’s to lose, after her stellar 2026 season put her in pole position to secure the big prize.
Aryna Sabalenka has lost too many big matches since she won the Indian Wells and Miami Open double back in March and she will need to go on a thrilling run of victories and hope Rybakina suffers some early defeats in upcoming WTA 1000 events to give her a chance to get back into the mix.
Tennis365 verdict: Rybakina in the best player in the world and she will wrap up the race to the year-end No 1 ranking.
Alex Eala’s big chance
Alex Eala has been one of the stand-out performers on the WTA Tour in 2026 and she has a big chance to finish the year on a real high.
She is already on course to secure a career high ranking by the end of the year as she will play in the WTA 1000 event in Wuhan and has limited ranking points to defend.
She is also playing in some lower ranking tournaments and if she can perform well and get more wins on her record, there is a good chance to she will be closing in on a top 10 ranking heading into 2027.
Tennis365 verdict: Eala won’t crack the top 10 this year, but she is well placed to do it in the opening months of next year.
On the slide – Iga Swiatek, Amanda Anisimova and Emma Raducanu
Amanda Anisimova was pushing the top of the rankings this time last year, but the American has been on the slide in 2026 and she is in danger of slipping out of the top 20 heading into the New Year.
Anisimova has plenty of points to defend over the next few weeks and the same is true with Iga Swiatek, who is down to No 10 in the latest WTA live ranking.
The news is even more alarming for former US Open champion Emma Raducanu, who is set to drop out of the top 100 in the rankings next week and will need to rely on a protected ranking to get into the Australian Open if she is fit to compete in January.
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