Aryna Sabalenka holds an extremely narrow lead in the Race to the WTA Finals despite her early exit at the 2026 Canadian Open, while Alex Eala is in 15th place.
The WTA 1000 tournament in Toronto is into the latter stages, and it will conclude with the final on Thursday 13 August.
The focus will then switch to the Cincinnati Open — the second WTA 1000 event of the North American hard-court swing — which will be held from 13 to 23 August.
What is the Race to the WTA Finals?
The eight women who earn the most ranking points in the 2026 campaign will qualify for the prestigious season-ending WTA Finals, which will be staged in Indian Wells, United States from 8 to 15 November.
If a current-year Grand Slam champion finishes between ninth and 20th in the Race, they will take the eighth and final qualification spot.
The tournament was initially due to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — which hosted the 2024 and 2025 editions — but the venue has been changed to the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
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Elena Rybakina is the reigning WTA Finals champion, with the Kazakh star having collected a record-breaking $5,235,000 for winning last year’s event.
The players who finish ninth and 10th will have the chance to travel to Indian Wells as alternates. Alternates take the place of any players who withdraw.
The latest Race to Indian Wells rankings
World No 1 Sabalenka began the Canadian Open in second place in the Race behind Mirra Andreeva, but she is now a single ranking point clear of the Russian at the top of the standings.
Sabalenka was upset by Ekaterina Alexandrova in the fourth round in Toronto, while Andreeva fell to Leylah Fernandez in the third round.
Rybakina remains in third position, but she has closed the gap to the top two after reaching the quarter-finals.
The two-time major winner and current world No 2 — who will face Naomi Osaka in the last eight — can claim the No 1 spot in the Race if she reaches the final.
Elina Svitolina is still fourth, but she has reduced the deficit to each of the top three after advancing to the semi-finals in Canada.
Jessica Pegula and Karolina Muchova remain fifth and sixth respectively, while Coco Gauff’s run to the quarter-finals has lifted her one place to seventh, with Linda Noskova dropping to eighth after she lost her first match.
Live WTA Race to Indian Wells (as of 11 August)
1) Aryna Sabalenka – 5,065
2) Mirra Andreeva – 5,064
3) Elena Rybakina – 4,842
4) Elina Svitolina – 4,614
5) Jessica Pegula – 4,395
6) Karolina Muchova – 4,270
7) Coco Gauff – 3,699
8) Linda Noskova – 3,684
Cutoff
9) Marta Kostyuk – 3,395
10) Victoria Mboko – 2,393
11) Iga Swiatek – 2,344
12) Diana Shnaider – 2,095
13) Belinda Bencic – 2,067
14) Sorana Cirstea – 2,055
15) Alex Eala – 1,997
Iga Swiatek has climbed one spot to 11th in the Race having progressed to the last four in Toronto, and she will enter the top 10 if she reaches the final.
Eala is in 15th position on 1,997 points after her seven-match winning streak across Washington DC and Canada ended with a last 16 defeat to Belinda Bencic in Toronto.
The Filipina began the Canadian Open in 14th place, but she has been overtaken by Bencic, who is up to 13th.
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