Elena Rybakina insists her primary focus is on her game despite the prospect of exiting the Canadian Open just four points behind Aryna Sabalenka in the race to world No.1.

The Kazakh was in with a chance of claiming top spot for the first time in her career this week in Toronto but was prevented from doing so after Sabalenka reached the last 16. However, Sabalenka’s recent surprise loss to Ekaterina Alexandrova has opened the door for Rybakina, who could move to just four points behind her rival if she wins the WTA 1000 event.

“I try not to think about it because there are still a lot of matches I got to win,” Rybakina said after her fourth round win over Liudmila Samsonova on Sunday.

“I was not playing that well in the grass court season as I wanted, so for me the most important thing now is to see the improvement.

“We worked hard the last couple of weeks coming here to this U.S. swing. So for me it’s important to just see the improvement.”

Rybakina has been far from perfect at times in Toronto with two of her three matches played so far this year going to three sets. Against Samsonova, she was broken six times and won only 43% of points behind her second serve.

“I think in this tournament some things are working, but still it’s not my best,” Rybakina admits.

“I try not to think about the ranking, about the points, and just go match at a time and see how far I can get.”

For the first time on the Tour, Rybakina will next play Naomi Osaka in the quarter-finals. Four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka reached the final of the tournament 12 months ago when it was held in Montreal. She is yet to drop a set in the tournament, with her latest victory being a 6-4, 6-4 triumph over Leylah Fernandez.

Osaka has only beaten one top 10 player so far in 2026, but that was Sabalenkla at Wimbledon. She is chasing after her first WTA title above 250 level since the 2021 Australian Open.

“She’s an amazing player,” the 11th seed said of facing Rybakina.

“I’ve practiced with her twice, in Australia this year, and also at Roland Garros. And they have been really good practices, so I’m kind of excited for a match.

“She has a great serve, she’s aggressive, and it’s also, for me, very fun to play against the best players. “

Rybakina is the only player to reach the quarter-finals at all three WTA 1000 events in North America this year.