CHASING HISTORY: WHY ELENA RYBAKINA IS THE NEW FAVOURITE FOR WORLD NUMBER ONE
Elena Rybakina is eyeing World No. 1: Discover how the Australian Open champion can overtake Iga Swiatek at the 2026 Dubai Open.
Elena Rybakina isn’t shy about it; she wants to be world No. 1. That’s the goal, plain and simple. She’s coming into the 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships still buzzing from her second Grand Slam win at the Australian Open and sitting at a career-high No. 3 in the rankings, a spot she first hit back in June 2023.
Right now, Rybakina has 7,523 ranking points. After making the quarter-finals in Doha last week, she’s just 280 points behind Iga Swiatek at No. 2, though Aryna Sabalenka holds the top spot with a bigger lead, 3,347 points ahead. Here’s the thing: neither Sabalenka nor Swiatek is playing in Dubai this week. That opens the door for Rybakina. She can move up to No. 2 and maybe chip away at that gap at the top.
She’s actually leading in the Race to Riyadh, too, the annual race that decides who makes it to the season-ending WTA Finals.
Before Dubai got underway, reporters asked Rybakina if she’s thinking about grabbing the No. 1 spot this year. She didn’t hesitate. “Well, it’s definitely a goal,” she said. Still, she knows it’s not just about her; how the other players perform matters, too. The season’s long, and there’s no room to slow down. “You need to improve every day,” she said. “We have so many tournaments. You need to catch up, and you need to keep on going.”
She’s honest; she wants to climb higher, win another Slam, and keep pushing. “Definitely, that’s the goal,” she said. “We’ll see just how this season goes.”
She’s 26 now, and besides that Wimbledon title in 2022, people want to know what surface she likes best after grass. “Probably the hard courts,” she said, but she’s quick to point out she’s done well everywhere, even on clay, even if that part of the season is short. “I think I can play on all the surfaces,” she said. “Definitely the faster ones are better for me, for my game.”
As for Dubai, it’s home. She lives there, trains there, and knows the courts even if they resurface them before tournaments. “I really love Dubai,” she said. “I’ve been practising and doing pre-season on these courts. Everything is familiar. So yeah, it’s good.”
INSIDE JANNIK SINNER’S HISTORIC INDIAN WELLS VICTORY AS FIRST ITALIAN MALE CHAMPION
Jannik Sinner makes history as the first Italian man to win Indian Wells, defeating Daniil Medvedev in two tiebreaks.
Jannik Sinner crushed Daniil Medvedev’s hopes at Indian Wells Sunday night. Medvedev looked sharp all week; he even took down Carlos Alcaraz to reach the final.
But when it came to the championship match, Sinner edged him out in two tense tiebreaks, 7-6, 7-6. Medvedev’s loss stings, but let’s be real: his level this week showed he’s back to fighting for big trophies after a pretty rough 2025.
He’s set a big goal for himself, too, with all the pressure that comes along with it. After the match, Medvedev, now 30, talked about whether he’s the one who can break up Alcaraz and Sinner’s grip at the top; he even admitted he slipped up a bit in the final.
On that note, it’s wild how Alcaraz and Sinner have ruled the ATP Tour lately. Between them, they’ve grabbed the last nine Grand Slam titles and barely given anyone else a chance. Still, Medvedev made things interesting at Indian Wells by beating Alcaraz and pushing Sinner to the edge.
In his post-match press conference, Medvedev shared his thoughts on his future and the big question: Can he really challenge Sinner and Alcaraz?
He said, “Honestly, it’s a pleasure to play Sinner and Alcaraz. Last year, I didn’t even get a shot; they were out of reach because I kept losing early. I’m glad this time I played well enough to beat the others first, took down Carlos, and then got to face Jannik.
My goal? Not to obsess over them, but to work on my own game, beat everyone else, and then, chances are, in Miami, I'm going to run into one of them in the semis or the final if I play out of my mind.”
He continued, “It’s tough to say if I’m the guy to challenge them, honestly. I’ve lost a bunch against them, and again today with Jannik. But I know I can play top-level tennis. Whoever I meet next, whether it’s Carlos, Jannik, or someone else, I’ll just try to play my best tennis. I proved I can do it again here, in Dubai, and in Brisbane.
On any given day, anyone can challenge them; look at Jakub beating Jannik in Doha or me beating Carlos here. So it’s not just me, not just Novak, not just Sascha. But it’s hard, and that’s why by the end of the season, those guys have sixty wins and only five or six losses, half of those losses coming against each other. It’s a tough mountain to climb, but you just keep trying.”
Now, Sinner, Alcaraz, and Medvedev head to the Miami Masters, which kicks off Tuesday. The last time around, Jakub Mensik won there; it’s the second Masters 1000 event of 2026.
Sinner made history on Sunday. No Italian man had ever won Indian Wells until he pulled it off. He now owns 25 ATP titles and is the youngest player to win all six ATP hard-court Masters events. Back in 1974, John Newcombe was the tournament’s first champ, beating Arthur Ashe in the final. Since then, Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer have all lifted the trophy. Federer and Djokovic sit at the top with five Indian Wells titles each.
ARYNA SABALENKA APPLAUDS ELINA SVITOLINA’S POST-PREGNANCY COMEBACK DURING INDIAN WELLS
Aryna Sabalenka reaches the Indian Wells final to face Elena Rybakina, while praising Elina Svitolina’s inspiring return.
Aryna Sabalenka had just made it to the Indian Wells final, set to face Elena Rybakina, though at the time of her press conference, the match-up wasn’t official yet.
Reporters asked her thoughts on both possible opponents, and she didn’t hold back on her respect for each. Sabalenka had a lot of praise for both semi-finalists, but especially for Elina Svitolina.
Pretty much everyone expected Rybakina to make it through, and that’s what happened. Still, Sabalenka made it clear how much she admired Svitolina, even though Svitolina didn’t make the final.
Here’s what Sabalenka had to say about Svitolina’s comeback:
“She’s an incredible player. Honestly, seeing the level she’s brought to the court after her pregnancy is so inspiring; it's really cool to watch. Every match we’ve played has been a tough battle. Always a show, always top level. If it had been Elina, I would’ve been just as excited. I know with her it’s always a real fight, always entertaining. I’m super excited either way.”
Sabalenka beat Svitolina at this year’s Australian Open but then lost the final to Rybakina. There’s no question Sabalenka wants to set the record straight against Rybakina at Indian Wells.
Getting to this final hasn’t exactly been a breeze, either. While her showdown with Rybakina is probably her toughest challenge yet, Sabalenka already battled through a stacked field just to get here without dropping a single set, no less.
She started fast, rolling past Himeno Sakatsume and Jaqueline Cristian. Then came Naomi Osaka in the Round of 16, a match many thought would be tight, but Sabalenka kept control and won solidly.
Victoria Mboko gave her a fight in their quarter-final’s opening set, but Sabalenka pulled away again in the tiebreak. She kept that momentum going against Linda Nosková in the semi-final, not giving her an inch.
Now, it’s down to Rybakina to try and stop Sabalenka, who’s looked almost unstoppable in the California desert so far.
