Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka are currently locked in a very tight world No 1 race on the North American hardcourt swing.

Sabalenka’s early exit at the Canadian Open has opened the door for Rybakina to very narrowly close the gap if she is successful at the Toronto event.

Rybakina earned her place in the semi finals of the event by defeating Naomi Osaka in three sets to set up a tantalising match with Coco Gauff.

If Rybakina wins the tournament, she will be just four ranking points behind Sabalenka, which will make the Cincinnati Open and US Open very interesting.

However, Rybakina has confirmed that she is not currently focusing on reaching the summit of the WTA Tour.

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Asked by Mark Petchey on The Tennis Channel about if she’s thinking about becoming the best ranked player in the world, she replied: “No, you guys asking me all the time.

“Only when you ask, I have to think about it. No, I’m just staying in present, trying to focus on one match at a time and not looking at the ranking, not following. So for me, it’s just important go match by match and hopefully win titles.”

Rybakina has won two tournaments so far in 2026, at the Stuttgart Open and the Australian Open, which has helped her gain on Sabalenka throuout the year.

Sabalenka has also stumbled throughout much of the summer months and she has failed to win a tournament since claiming the Miami Open in March.

However, Rybakina has not truly capitalised on the situation left to her by Sabalenka, as she has endured some strange results in recent months.

She was beaten in the round of 64 at Roland Garros and she fell at the round of 32 at Wimbledon.

She was also beaten early at Queen’s by Katie Boulter and in Berlin by Alex Eala, so there have been many missed opportunities for the world No 2.

She’s looked better at the Canadian Open, where she has defeated Daria Kasatkina, Ann Li, Liudmila Samsonova, and now Osaka, however, so she could be playing herself into very good form.

Her biggest test will be next, though, with Gauff awaiting her at the Masters tournament. Rybakina will have to prove she deserves to be in the world No 1 conversation by defeating the talented American.

Should she find a way past Gauff in the semi finals of the Toronto event, she will play either Elina Svitolina or Iga Swiatek in the final of the tournament.