WTA Rankings: Elena Rybakina to overtake Iga Swiatek after Pole exits Indian Wells Open
Elena Rybakina has secured a new milestone in the WTA Rankings on the back of Iga Swiatek’s quarter-final exit from the Indian Wells Open.
Reigning Wimbledon champion Swiatek’s No 2 position in the WTA Rankings has been under threat from Rybakina since the Kazakh star won the Australian Open at the start of the season.
After failing to make the most of her opportunities during the Middle East swing, Rybakina finally got the job done at the Indian Wells Open by reaching the semi-final of the WTA 1000 event.
Swiatek looked to be back to her best when she beat Karolina Muchova in the round of 16, but she lost her last-four encounter against Elina Svitolina in three sets, and it presented Rybakina with a golden chance to move ahead by beating Jessica Pegula.
And she took that opportunity with both hands as she beat the fifth-seeded American 6-1, 7-6 (7-4) to secure her place in the semi-final against Svitolina.
Indian Wells Open News
Victoria Mboko’s Indian Wells prize money & ranking points revealed after exit
Karolina Muchova, Sonay Kartal, Belinda Bencic, Katerina Siniakova prize money and ranking points
“I think the quality of the match was good. I started pretty well, very aggressive, and the serve was working today,” Rybakina said after her victory.
“In the second set, of course Jessica, she’s a tough player. I felt that I played a little bit passive. She took the opportunity, got the lead.
“Yeah, after, it was a fight for each game, a lot of close rallies. Yeah, was just trying to fight and find a way. In the end, everything worked out.”
What It Means For The Rankings
Swiatek started the tournament with a 335-point lead over Rybakina, but the Pole was defending 390 points from the 2025 edition while her quarter-final appearance is worth only 215 points.
It means she will drop 175 points and will finish the California event on 7,413 points.
Rybakina, meanwhile, had only 120 points to defend from last year and by reaching the semi-final, she is guaranteed to earn 390 points so she is effectively +270, which takes her to 7,523.
That gap, of course, will increase if she reaches the final or wins the title.
But for now, she won’t be able to catch world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka as the four-time Grand Slam winner has a 2,800-point lead over Rybakina in the Live Rankings.
For Swiatek, it will be the first time since August 2025 that she won’t be in the top two of the rankings as she dropped down the list last year on the back of her failure to defend her French Open crown.
