Rybakina locks in year-end world No. 1 in Tokyo as teenager Pohankova knocks out Naomi Osaka

Elena Rybakina will finish 2026 as the world's top-ranked woman after beating fellow Kazakh Yulia Putintseva 6-2, 6-3 at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo on Thursday, AFP reported. On the same day, former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka was knocked out by Slovak wildcard Mia Pohankova, 6-3, 7-5.

Rybakina: 70 minutes to seal the year

Rybakina needed 70 minutes against world No. 67 Putintseva, hitting six aces and saving the only break point she faced. She became No. 1 for the first time last month when she won the US Open, replacing Aryna Sabalenka, and her 2026 also includes the Australian Open title in January. She now has three Grand Slam titles and arrived in Tokyo after winning the Ningbo Open last week, her fourth title of the season.

"It's an amazing achievement and hopefully we can continue this way next year," the 27-year-old said. She has already qualified for the season-ending WTA Finals at Indian Wells next month, and faces Canada's Leylah Fernandez, whom she beat in the Ningbo final, in the quarter-finals.

Osaka's season ends at home

Osaka, 29 and the seventh seed, had beaten Jasmine Paolini in her opener but could not follow it up in front of home fans. The defeat ends a mixed season for the four-time Grand Slam champion, who said last week that she had thought about retirement, according to AFP.

Pohankova said: "It is the first time I have played against such a hard player, and I feel really, really good." She meets American Alycia Parks in the last eight.

Results

Watching from Pakistan

Tokyo is four hours ahead of Pakistan, so day sessions at the Pan Pacific Open fall in Pakistan's morning and early afternoon. The WTA Finals at Indian Wells, in California, will be late night and early morning in PKT, since California is 13 hours behind Pakistan in November.

We covered Rybakina's Ningbo title last week: Rybakina beats Fernandez to keep the Ningbo Open title.