Elena Rybakina retains No. 2 ranking, withdraws from US Open mixed doubles

Kazakhstani tennis player Elena Rybakina has withdrawn from the mixed doubles event at the 2026 U.S. Open after an injury ended her bid to become world No. 1.

In the latest WTA rankings, released today, Rybakina remained No. 2, behind Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka. Had Rybakina reached the Cincinnati final, she would have become world No. 1 for the first time. However, an injury has put her participation in the Grand Slam at risk. For now, Rybakina has withdrawn only from the mixed doubles event. American Jessica Pegula has replaced her alongside Taylor Fritz.

Meanwhile, Pegula reached the Cincinnati Open final, where Coco Gauff defeated her 6-4, 6-4. In the semifinals, Pegula defeated Poland’s Iga Świątek 7-5, 4-6, 6-4. Świątek failed to defend the points she earned last year, dropping to No. 8 in the rankings.

Most of the tennis players will spend the coming week on the courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York. Some will compete in the mixed doubles event. Others will practice or begin their qualifying campaigns for the Grand Slam, with decent prize money also on offer.

Kazakhstan’s 31-year-old Yulia Putintseva traveled to Mexico for the WTA 500 Monterrey Open but failed to qualify. In the first qualifying round, Putintseva defeated Mexico’s Victoria Rodríguez (World No. 433), 6-4, 6-3. However, she lost to 20-year-old Australian Maya Joint (World No. 67), 0-6, 6-3, 6-1, in the second qualifying round.

Anna Danilina will represent Kazakhstan in Monterrey, having to change doubles partners out of necessity. Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunić will play in the U.S. Open mixed doubles event alongside Croatia’s Mate Pavić. Danilina, meanwhile, will team up with Japan’s Miyu Kato (World No. 41) in Mexico. The Kazakh-Japanese pair is seeded fourth.

The U.S. Open is an annual hard-court tournament and the last of the four Grand Slam events on the calendar.

Traditionally, the U.S. Open, one of the world’s oldest tennis tournaments, begins on the last Monday of August. For the second consecutive year, the tournament is starting a week earlier, with the mixed doubles event held ahead of the main draw. The 2026 U.S. Open runs from Aug. 23 to Sept. 13.

The tournament was originally known as the U.S. National Championships and was first held in August 1881. It is the only Grand Slam tournament to have been held every year without interruption, including during both world wars and the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition to its five main events, the tournament also features senior, junior and wheelchair competitions. Since 1978, the tournament has been held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens, New York City.

The current singles champions are Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka.