US Open 2026: Sabalenka, Rybakina, Gauff, Swiatek and Osaka Set to Lose Ranking Points

As the US Open 2026 is nearing, the current Women’s world number one player, Aryna Sabalenka will be under immense pressure as she has a lot of points to defend. Meanwhile, there is good news in store for a few other players including Coco Gauff, Alex Eala, Elena Rybakina, and Iga Swiatek.

Sabalenka won her fourth Grand Slam title last year at the Flushing Meadows when she defeated Amanda Anisimova in the finals. But now, 12 months later, she will drop the point that she won or may even face the possibility of losing the number one spot in the WTA rankings.

The rankings are determined on a rolling 52-week, cumulative system basis, and the players drop points from the corresponding 12 months at the start of the event. However, the players can earn the points back for their round-by-round progression at the current tournament.

For example, if a player earned 200 points in 2025, those points will be removed from their tally in the live WTA Rankings at the start of the event. And, if the said player then loses early and earns only 100 points this time around, they go home with a deficit of -100.

Big Names The Will Drop Points At US Open

Aryna Sabalenka - 2,000

Winning a Grand Slam gives the player 2,000 points, and Sabalenka earned the full quota when she defeated Anisimova in the 2025 final to win her second US Open Championship. The Belarusian currently has 8,575 points in the WTA Rankings, but it will effectively be 6,575 once those 2000 are removed, which will result in her slipping to the number two position in the live Rankings with Elena Rybakina moving ahead of her.

She can only regain her number one spot in the rankings after the US Open by winning the title.

Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff, Marka Kostyuk - 240

Rybakina who lost in the fourth round last year at the US open has the top spot in the rankings in her own hands as a semi-final appearance will move her ahead of Sabalenka and she may potentially become the World No 1 for the first time in her career. She can also become the world number one if she loses earlier and others fall by the wayside.

Coco Gauff may also potentially become world number one. But for that she needs to win the Championship and also hope that Rybakina doesn't reach the semi-final stage. Meanwhile, the current world number 11 player, Kostyuk is poised to enter the top 10 rankings for the first time.

Alex Eala - 135

The teenage sensation, and current world no. 17, Alex Eala won her maiden Grand Slam match at the US open in 2025 before eventually losing in the second round, leaving New York with 70 points. But she then signed up for the SP open and reached the quarterfinal stage, earning 125 points.

However, it gets a little complicated as some of her points (60) that she earned in Brazil is considered as non-countable so she technically will only drop 65 points from that WTA 250 event. The 21-year-old player from Philippines has 2,281 points and once the 135 points are removed, she sits on 2,166 with an opportunity to move into top 15 rankings.