WTA power rankings ahead of the US Open

The final Grand Slam of the season comes with a unique blend of old and new – established champions, up-and-coming stars and a host of questions still to be answered on the women’s side. On New York’s hard courts, power, endurance and composure will all be tested, with several players arriving in form and with every ounce of the potential needed to hoist the trophy. Analyzing tennis rankings alongside recent results, these are the big names driving the conversation for the championship, updated with the current WTA standings and form after the Toronto and Cincinnati swing.

Aryna Sabalenka (WTA No. 1)

Aryna Sabalenka is the standard-bearer when it comes to Flushing Meadows. The world No. 1 has developed her game on the back of constant aggression, a lethal serve and a sense of confidence which comes from big success. She is coming back as the defending US Open champion, having claimed her first title in New York in 2024 over Jessica Pegula, and was runner-up in 2023 to Coco Gauff, with the opportunity to become a back-to-back champion this year.

Her hard-court form ahead of New York has been shakier than her ranking suggests. Sabalenka reached the fourth round in Toronto before a stunning Cincinnati exit, beaten in the quarter-finals by Czech Sara Bejlek 7-6 (7), 6-4 – Bejlek’s first career win over a top-10 player. What the challenge will be is how to handle pressure as all opponents will come with the mindset that they have nothing to lose against the tournament favourite.

Elena Rybakina (WTA No. 2)

Elena Rybakina is now Sabalenka’s biggest rival. Consistency, once viewed as her weak point, has become her calling card in 2026: she has already won the Australian Open and the Stuttgart title this year and was the only player to reach the fourth round at every WTA 1000 event on the calendar. She arrived at the US Open on the back of a strong hard-court swing, beating Taylor Townsend and Magdalena Frech in Cincinnati (her 41st win of the season) before retiring while trailing Swiatek in the quarter-finals, after reaching the Toronto final, where she lost to Swiatek 6-2, 6-3 having needed three sets to see off Gauff in the semis.

Her flat groundstrokes remain well suited to the US Open surface, but her results there have never matched her ranking: her career-best result at Flushing Meadows is the fourth round, reached again in 2025 – still the one notable gap on her Grand Slam résumé.

Coco Gauff (WTA No. 4)

Coco Gauff is a tremendous expectation as one of America’s top prospects. The 2023 US Open champion, who beat Sabalenka in that final, has a feel for the pressure of playing on home soil and is one of the toughest players on the professional tour.

Gauff arrives in career-best form. She reached the semi-finals in Toronto, losing to Rybakina in three sets, before winning the Cincinnati Open, beating Pegula 6-2, 6-4 in the final for a second Cincinnati title – making her only the third woman in the Open Era to win the event more than once, after Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka. It is the same script that preceded her maiden Grand Slam title in 2023.

Iga Swiatek (WTA No. 8)

Iga Swiatek is certainly one of the most whole-rounded players in women’s tennis. The 2022 US Open champion is outstanding at moving, world-class with the return and has the power to trouble opponents with heavy topspin and sheer intensity.

Swiatek arrives with real momentum: she won the Toronto title over Rybakina 6-2, 6-3, her first title of the season and 12th at WTA 1000 level, moving her past Sabalenka for second-most since the format’s 2009 debut. In Cincinnati, the defending champion beat Maria Sakkari and then Rybakina, who retired trailing 4-1 in the quarter-finals, before losing to Pegula in the semi-finals, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4.

Jessica Pegula (WTA No. 3)

Jessica Pegula is still making a great case for how important consistency is. The American has become a dependable threat at the very top, not only clean with the ball but also smart at the point.

Her form since Toronto has been a story of contrasts. She was upset in the second round there by Diana Shnaider, 6-3, 6-3, ending her bid for a third Canadian Open title, but rebounded in Cincinnati to reach the final, beating Swiatek along the way, before losing to Gauff. Pegula has now reached the semi-finals or better at the last two US Opens – runner-up to Sabalenka in 2024 and a semi-finalist again in 2025 – and is still chasing the major title that has so far eluded her.

Mirra Andreeva (WTA No. 5)

Mirra Andreeva is the new generation that is challenging the old. Fresh off her maiden Grand Slam title at the 2026 French Open, where she became the youngest Roland-Garros champion of the 21st century at 19, Andreeva has rapidly evolved from promising teenager to genuine Grand Slam threat.

Her hard-court swing was a reminder that the transition is still in progress: she was upset by Leylah Fernandez in the third round in Toronto, then lost in the last 16 in Cincinnati to Marta Kostyuk, 4-6, 6-0, 6-2 – revenge for Kostyuk’s Roland-Garros semi-final loss to Andreeva. Her career-best US Open result remains the third round, reached in 2025, making New York the major where her breakthrough has yet to show up.

Naomi Osaka (WTA No. 13)

Naomi Osaka’s return to the top tier of the sport only adds to the intrigue. The four-time Grand Slam champion, with titles at the US Open in 2018 and 2020 among others, still boasts the requisite grit, technique and mental toughness for New York.

Her hard-court build-up was interrupted: after reaching the quarter-finals in Toronto, where she lost to Rybakina, Osaka withdrew from Cincinnati citing fatigue — the second year running she has pulled out of the event. It leaves some uncertainty over her exact seeding position heading into the draw.

Amanda Anisimova (WTA No. 10)

Amanda Anisimova has become one of the most lethal ball-strikers on tour. Her clean timing, flat power and fearless attitude let her take the racquet out of any opponent’s hands.
She reached the fourth round in Toronto, losing to Elina Svitolina, then went further in Cincinnati, beating Zeynep Sonmez, Alexandra Eala and Linda Noskova to reach the second week. Having reached the 2025 US Open final – where she lost to Sabalenka, 6-3, 7-6 (3) – and a career-high ranking of world No. 3 in January 2026, Anisimova arrives in New York with the pedigree and recent big-match experience to go all the way if she handles the physical grind of a Grand Slam fortnight.

Karolina Muchova (WTA No. 7)

Today, Karolina Muchova is one of the unpredictable talents of the tour. Her craftiness, her net skills and her tactical flexibility pose a problem to players who only attempt to solve problems with power.

Her build-up to New York has been compromised: after finishing runner-up at Wimbledon, Muchova underwent surgery and withdrew from Cincinnati, leaving her with no hard-court preparation before the US Open, and her participation there was not yet confirmed. Her results have been more often than not based on health and consistency, and her past record in New York is considerable – back-to-back semi-finals in 2023, lost to eventual champion Gauff, and 2024, lost to Pegula, making her the first Czech woman to reach consecutive US Open semi-finals since Helena Sukova in 1986 and 1987.

Linda Noskova (WTA No. 6)

Linda Noskova rounds out the top ten power ranking after a breakthrough 2026 season that included her first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon. Her aggressive baseline game and fearless mentality make her a dangerous floater on hard courts as well.

Her form since has cooled: she lost in Toronto to Caty McNally 7-6 (5), 6-1 after leading 5-1 in the first set, then fell in the last 16 in Cincinnati to Anisimova, 6-1, 6-4. Her career-best US Open result is the third round, reached in 2025 – the next step is turning her grass-court breakthrough into a deep run on hard courts.

The field for the US Open is as deep as it has ever been, but here’s who the top guys seem to be. Sabalenka is leading the way, while Rybakina, Gauff and Swiatek are posing the biggest threats. However, a bunch of aspiring players are just waiting for any vulnerability.

New York is a city that has witnessed transformative moments, unexpected victories, and dramatic breakthroughs. Uncertainty is on the cards again this year for the women’s side. Rankings and recent performance offer a guide but the unique pressure of the US Open can change the course of the entire tournament in two weeks. All competitors are aware of one great fortnight changing whole careers.