It will not be an easy mission, as she must at least consider a campaign through to the semifinals of the tournament and hope for an early defeat from World No. 1 Sabalenka. Without considering what the Belarusian can do, the only way to secure No. 1 is for Rybakina to win the title — or reach the final and Sabalenka not reach the semifinals.
“Afterwards I felt more comfortable and I was just trying to stay aggressive and keep swinging,” added the 2026 Australian Open champion. “The beginning is always tricky, but then you adjust and it gets better.”
Rybakina opens door to World No. 1
The possibility of becoming No. 1 is still present, although Rybakina acknowledged that she needs to maintain consistency throughout the next two weeks to achieve an unprecedented milestone in her career.
“To be number one, you need to be really consistent. That is the most important thing,” she said. “And you always need to stay healthy in such a difficult schedule, because there is no room to skip tournaments. If you don’t feel well, you can lose early. So I feel consistency is the most important thing, and of course staying healthy.”
Rybakina awaits her second-round clash against Starodubtseva
Rybakina awaits her second-round match against the Ukrainian Yuliia Starodubtseva, with whom she has no previous meetings. The world No. 2 admitted that there are still aspects of her game to improve ahead of her next appearance in the tournament.
“I think the start of matches can always be better. The serve, the percentage of first serves wasn’t as high as I wanted,” Rybakina mentioned. “But again, it was hot, so I had to adjust. It’s not easy to get the right angles in such conditions. Footwork can always be better, and some decisions as well. But overall, it’s a good start for me.”
Scenarios table – Ranking Points
| Round result | [2] Rybakina (8,073) | [1] Sabalenka (8,660) | Points per round |
| R1 | 8,083 | 8,670 | 10 pts |
| R2 | 8,143 | 8,730 | 70 pts |
| R3 | 8,183 | 8,790 | 130 pts |
| R16 | 8,313 | 8,900 | 240 pts |
| QF | 8,503 | 9,090 | 430 pts |
| SF | 8,773* | 9,440 | 780 pts |
| Final | 9,373** | 9,960 | 1300 pts |
| Champion | 10,073*** | 10,660 | 2000 pts |
* Rybakina becomes World No. 1 if she reaches semifinals (SF) & Sabalenka does not reach the third round (R3).
** Rybakina becomes World No. 1 if she reaches the final (F) & Sabalenka does not reach the semifinals (SF).
*** Rybakina becomes World No. 1 if she wins the tournament (champion), regardless of Sabalenka’s result.