One week after the conclusion of Wimbledon, the WTA Race has been updated following a transition week between the grass-court season and the North American hard-court swing. With only a couple of WTA 250 tournaments taking place in Europe, Barbora Krejcikova and Mayar Sherif emerged as the biggest movers of the week after collecting the most Race points.
With several top names currently out of competition, it was a valuable opportunity for established players to return to winning ways and climb positions in the Race. Two-time Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova broke into the top 40 of the Race standings after winning the Athens Open, defeating Maria Sakkari in the final, while the Greek star moved firmly into the top 30.
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The WTA Race only measures points earned during the calendar year — starting from the first week of competition in 2026 — and will be crucial in determining the eight players who qualify for the WTA Finals, which will be held in Indian Wells this year, as well as the year-end rankings.
Meanwhile, the top of the Race standings remained unchanged this week. Mirra Andreeva and Aryna Sabalenka continue their close battle for the No.1 spot, while Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina remains within striking distance in third place. Players such as Marta Kostyuk, Victoria Mboko, Iga Swiatek and Naomi Osaka currently remain outside the WTA Finals qualification zone, but their chances remain alive if they can produce strong results during the final part of the season.
Andreeva, Sabalenka and Rybakina continue three-way battle for No.1
Over the last few months, the WTA Race has been consistently dominated by the three leading names of the season. Roland Garros champion Mirra Andreeva currently leads the standings by a narrow margin over Sabalenka, who won the Sunshine Double and has been the most consistent player in terms of total victories. Behind them, Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina remains close, creating a three-player battle for the top position in the coming weeks.
While the top three are almost guaranteed their places at the WTA Finals, Linda Noskova will join them among the leading contenders after her Wimbledon title run, which moved her to No.7 in the Race. Wimbledon runner-up Karolina Muchova sits in fourth place, meaning two Czech players could potentially compete at the season-ending event that brings together the eight best players of the year.
Elina Svitolina currently occupies fifth place in the qualification zone, while the final projected qualifiers for the WTA Finals are American stars Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff. Both players have been regular participants at the event in recent years and have once again shown consistency throughout 2026, despite not returning to a Grand Slam final this season.
Swiatek, Kostyuk and Mboko chasing WTA Finals spots
Some players will be watching their positions closely as the final months of the season approach. Iga Swiatek is at risk of dropping out of the top 10 if she cannot improve her results in the upcoming tournaments. The Polish star currently sits at No.12 in the Race and is around 1,500 points away from the eighth-place position currently occupied by Coco Gauff.
Swiatek will likely need a deep run at the US Open and strong performances at the remaining WTA 1000 events if she wants to return to the tournament she won in 2022 and where she has qualified for five consecutive editions.
Also dreaming of securing a place at the WTA Finals are Marta Kostyuk and Victoria Mboko, currently ninth and 10th in the Race. Kostyuk is only a few points behind Gauff, and every victory could prove decisive in the battle for qualification. The Ukrainian is enjoying the best season of her career after reaching the semifinals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, while also winning her first WTA 1000 title in Madrid. She remains one of the strongest candidates to replace one of the current top eight.
Behind her is Victoria Mboko, who spent the first months of the season near the top of the Race standings, even challenging for a place inside the top five. However, her recent absence due to injury has cost her valuable points.
She is now more than 1,000 points behind Gauff and over 800 points behind Kostyuk, while her confirmed absence from the Canadian Open — where she was defending the title — further complicates her chances. A strong recovery will be needed, but she will have fewer opportunities than other contenders to collect points.
Sorana Cirstea, Iva Jovic, Belinda Bencic and Diana Shnaider complete the Race top 15 and remain within reach of the top 10. Although qualifying for the WTA Finals still appears unlikely, a strong North American hard-court swing at the Canadian Open or Cincinnati could significantly improve their positions ahead of the final Grand Slam of the year, the US Open. Whoever performs best during this stretch could enter the final months of the season with a realistic chance of finishing inside the top 10.
WTA Race Update, July 21
Rank Player Age Points
1 Mirra Andreeva 19 4999
2 Aryna Sabalenka 28 4945
3 Elena Rybakina 27 4627
4 Karolína Muchová 29 4270
5 Elina Svitolina 31 4116
6 Jessica Pegula 32 3950
7 Linda Nosková 21 3674
8 Coco Gauff 22 3484
9 Marta Kostyuk 24 3275
10 Victoria Mboko 19 2393
11 Sorana Cîrstea 36 2045
12 Iga Świątek 25 1954
13 Iva Jovic 18 1862
14 Belinda Bencic 29 1852
15 Diana Shnaider 22 1685
16 Madison Keys 31 1684
17 Elise Mertens 30 1600
18 Naomi Osaka 28 1527
19 Amanda Anisimova 24 1498
20 Anna Kalinskaya 27 1490
21 Marie Bouzková 28 1466
22 Maja Chwalińska 24 1464
23 Anastasia Potapova 25 1433
24 Jeļena Ostapenko 29 1404
25 Alexandra Eala 21 1379
26 Emma Navarro 25 1243
27 Jasmine Paolini 30 1194
28 Hailey Baptiste 24 1153
29 Maria Sakkari 30 1098
30 Donna Vekić 30 996
31 Karolína Plíšková 34 990
32 Xinyu Wang 24 978
33 Leylah Fernandez 23 902
34 Peyton Stearns 24 893
35 Kimberly Birrell 28 891
36 Sára Bejlek 20 878
37 Ekaterina Alexandrova 31 872
38 Jaqueline Cristian 28 870
39 Clara Tauson 23 866
40 Barbora Krejčíková 30 866
41 Katie Boulter 29 860
42 Zeynep Sönmez 24 851
43 Ann Li 26 847
44 Magda Linette 34 842
45 Elisabetta Cocciaretto 25 824
46 Cristina Bucșa 28 802
47 Elena-Gabriela Ruse 28 801
48 Alycia Parks 25 772
49 Yulia Starodubtseva 26 770
50 Magdalena Fręch 28 757
