Special WTA Report
Explore RallyHer’s Special WTA Reports — in-depth women’s tennis analysis, player features, rankings insight, coaching updates, comeback stories, and major narratives from across all four majors and the WTA Tour.
-
Bianca Andreescu Finds a Trophy in Rovereto as Sloane Stephens Turns Edmond Into a Melbourne Launchpad
Bianca Andreescu and Sloane Stephens know what it feels like to win the US Open. In October 2026, though, both former champions found themselves celebrating trophies in rather different surroundings. For Andreescu, it was Rovereto in Italy, where the Canadian won the WTA 125 title and climbed 36 places to No. 132. For Stephens, it…
-
Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils Say Their Marriage Is Ending as She Describes War’s Hidden Toll
RallyHer normally leaves the private lives of tennis players where they belong: with the players themselves. This time, an exception feels warranted. For the past several years, Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils have been the most recognisable couple in tennis, with Katie Boulter and Alex de Minaur perhaps the only recent pairing to rival them…
-
Live WTA Rankings 2026: Latest Standings After Wuhan
Welcome to our LIVE WTA Rankings 2026 hub — updated as of October 18, 2026, after the final of the Wuhan Open. This is your go-to source for the latest WTA rankings, featuring real-time updates on the current women’s tennis standings, ranking points, and Race to the WTA Finals. We try to update the list…
-
Greg Rusedski’s Prescription for Sabalenka: Finish the WTA Finals, Then Get Away
Aryna Sabalenka does not need more tennis right now, at least not according to Greg Rusedski. The former British No. 1 believes Sabalenka should get through the WTA Finals in Indian Wells, then put the racket down for a proper period and consider not returning until the Australian Open. It is a striking suggestion for…
-
Elise Mertens Just Passed Justine Henin in One Belgian Ranking Few Saw Coming
Elise Mertens’ remarkable China Open run did more than add another deep WTA 1000 result to what is becoming one of the finest seasons of her career. It also pushed the 30-year-old Belgian past Justine Henin in career prize money. Mertens has now earned $21,155,310 across her career, moving above Henin’s $20,863,335 and into 27th…
-
Three Spots, Six Contenders, Even Iva Jovic, and a WTA Finals Cut Line That Rises Every Night
The WTA Finals race that actually matters after Beijing week one Five players can already look toward the WTA Finals in Indian Wells with little cause for concern. Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka have mathematically clinched their places at the WTA Finals, while Mirra Andreeva, Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff sit safely above the projected…
-
Editorial: When Tennis Podcasts Stop Being Free, Who Are They Growing the Sport For?
Tennis has spent years asking how it can reach younger audiences, attract casual viewers and turn occasional Grand Slam spectators into year-round followers. Podcasts should be one of the easiest answers. They are inexpensive to consume, accessible almost anywhere and particularly well suited to a sport that moves from country to country for eleven months…
-
Splendid Nikola Bartunkova Sends Sabalenka Sightseeing at the Great Wall in Beijing
Nikola Bartunkova vs. Aryna Sabalenka — China Open 2026 Third-Round Match Report Nikola Bartunkova had already shown in Berlin that she could trouble Aryna Sabalenka. This time, she finished the job in very windy conditions. The 20-year-old Czech defeated the world No. 2 6-4, 6-3 in Beijing, producing a performance far more complete than the…
-
Mirra Andreeva Makes It Three Straight Beijing Editions for a Rare Double-Bagel Comeback
Mirra Andreeva did not merely recover from a poor opening set against Yue Yuan at the China Open. She produced one of the rarest scoreline reversals seen on the WTA Tour in the past decade. The No. 4 seed lost the first set 6-3 to the Chinese wildcard in their Beijing second-round match before winning…
-
China Locks Up Asian Games Gold as Beijing Brings a New Wave of Home-Court Wins
Chinese tennis already knows where the Asian Games women’s singles gold medal is going. Xiyu Wang and Shuai Zhang will meet in an all-Chinese final on Saturday, guaranteeing gold and silver for China after both came through their semifinals in Japan. At almost the same time, the China Open in Beijing has been producing another…
-
Australia Waited Years for the Next Train Before Two WTA Finals Arrived at Once
For a while, Australian women’s tennis seemed to be waiting for a train that never came. Ashleigh Barty retired in 2022 after carrying the country through one of its richest periods, and the years that followed produced plenty of promise but far fewer trophies. This weekend, suddenly, Australian fans have two finals to watch —…
-
From Perth to a WTA 500 Final: Talia Gibson Is One Win From a Singapore Breakthrough
Australian tennis has another young player knocking loudly on the door. At 22, Talia Gibson will play the biggest singles final of her career at the Singapore Tennis Open, with the West Australian now one victory away from her first WTA Tour title. Her place in Sunday’s final became official without another ball being struck…
-
Complete Breakdown of Women’s Tennis Ranking Points: From Grand Slams to ITF W15 Tournaments
Last updated: September 21, 2026 — now including the Iva Jovic Guadalajara calendar quirk.Understanding how ranking points are awarded in women’s tennis is key for players, fans, and analysts alike. From the prestige of WTA Majors to the stepping stones of ITF W15 tournaments, this comprehensive breakdown covers everything you need to know. How often…
-
WTA Finals Return to the US as Riyadh Exit Looks Timelier by the Week
The WTA Finals are not going back to Riyadh. Instead, the 2026 season-ending championship will be played at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden from November 8-15, before the event begins a new three-year run in Charlotte, North Carolina, from 2027 through 2029. The Charlotte edition will be staged at Spectrum Center, with the WTA also…
-
Boris Becker Questions Iga Swiatek’s Search for a New Tennis Identity
Iga Swiatek’s collapse from 5-0 up against Zheng Qinwen at the 2026 US Open left Boris Becker with a bigger concern than the result itself. Swiatek had raced through the opening 23 minutes of their fourth-round match and appeared in complete control. Zheng then won seven consecutive games to steal the first set before completing…
-
WTA Players on Instagram: 100+ Instagram Accounts in One List
Looking for a WTA player on Instagram? RallyHer has collected the Instagram accounts of more than 100 active women’s tennis players in one searchable directory. The list includes Grand Slam champions, established WTA players, rising stars and emerging names. Search by player name, country or Instagram handle to find an account quickly. Last checked: September…
-
Rybakina-Sabalenka US Open Final Draws 2.7 Million as Women’s Semifinals Set ESPN Record
The 2026 US Open finished strongly for women’s tennis on American television. Elena Rybakina’s 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 victory over Aryna Sabalenka in the women’s singles final averaged 2.7 million viewers, according to ESPN, up 13 percent year over year. The audience peaked at 3.2 million between 6:30 and 6:45 p.m. ET. It was ESPN’s largest…
-
Two Days After the US Open Ended in 2001, New York Changed Forever
On Sunday, September 9, 2001, Lleyton Hewitt stood inside Arthur Ashe Stadium with the US Open trophy in his hands. Two days later, the world outside the stadium was unrecognizable. The September 11 attacks did not stop the 2001 US Open. They came almost immediately after it. In Remembrance Remembering the Victims of September 11…
-
No Individual Training Until 17, Ten Years Later Elena Rybakina Is World No. 1
Elena Rybakina vs. Qinwen Zheng — US Open 2026 Quarterfinal Match Report. Elena Rybakina spent much of her junior career sharing courts rather than receiving individual training. She did not begin working seriously one-on-one until around the age of 17. On Wednesday in New York, that unconventional route reached the top of women’s tennis. Rybakina…
-
US Open 2026 No. 1 Race: Rybakina One Win From the Top as Zheng Holds the Key
Cincinnati is over, Coco Gauff has the trophy, and the battle for the WTA World No. 1 ranking has now reached its decisive stage at the US Open. Aryna Sabalenka remains No. 1 for the moment, but Elena Rybakina is only one victory away from replacing her. The equation could hardly be simpler. If Rybakina…
-
Where Are the Upsets? US Open 2026 Sends Almost All of Its Biggest Names Into Round Three
The first two rounds of a Grand Slam are supposed to thin the field. At this US Open, they have barely touched the top of it. Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff, Mirra Andreeva, Linda Noskova, Karolina Muchova and Iga Swiatek are all safely into the third round. So are Elina Svitolina, Amanda…
-
Qualifying Was Only the First Test: Five US Open Qualifiers Are Already Through, Ten Are Gone
Three victories got them into the US Open. For most of the qualifiers, the fourth proved considerably harder. Of the 16 women who fought their way through qualifying, five have already won again in the main draw, 10 have been eliminated, and Francesca Jones is still trying to become the sixth after taking the opening…
-
Chris Evert vs. Martina Navratilova: Every Match of the Greatest Rivalry in Women’s Tennis
From their first meeting in 1973 to their 80th and final clash in 1988, RallyHer revisits every match between Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova — the rivalry that changed women’s tennis. Evert vs. Navratilova Head-to-Head at a Glance Few rivalries in tennis history lasted as long, shifted as dramatically or carried as much significance as…
-
Qinwen Zheng Makes It, Andreescu Does Not, and the US Open Draw Delivers a Cruel Qualifier Twist
The qualifying tournament is over. Sixteen women have survived three rounds and are now officially part of the 2026 US Open main draw. For Qinwen Zheng, that meant completing the job after being pushed to three sets in her qualifying final. For Bianca Andreescu, it meant the opposite: after cruising through her first two matches,…
-
Three in a Row? Aryna Sabalenka’s US Open Women’s Section and Main Draw Bracket Analysis
Aryna Sabalenka has spent the last two US Opens doing something nobody else in the women’s draw could stop. Now she gets the chance to make it three. The World No. 1 arrives in New York chasing a third consecutive US Open title, but with a curious contradiction attached to her name. Her last two…
-
Jessica Pegula Lands the Most Open US Open Women’s Section: Main Draw Bracket Analysis With a Major Chance
Jessica Pegula could hardly have asked the US Open draw for much more. The No. 3 seed arrives in New York only four days removed from the Cincinnati final and with another chance to make a serious run at the Grand Slam that came closest to changing her career two years ago. And then the…
-
Coco Gauff Lands a Brutal US Open Women’s Section: Main Draw Bracket Analysis After Cincinnati
Coco Gauff could hardly arrive in New York with more momentum. She has just won Cincinnati, finished the tournament by sweeping Jessica Pegula 6-2, 6-4 and suddenly looks much closer to the player who won the US Open three years ago. Then the draw arrived. Gauff may be the No. 4 seed, but her US…
-
Elena Rybakina Gets the Toughest US Open Women’s Section: Main Draw Bracket Analysis With No. 1 at Stake
A week ago, Elena Rybakina was unable to finish her Cincinnati Open quarterfinal. Now she has arrived in New York as the No. 2 seed, with the World No. 1 ranking closer than it has ever been and arguably the most difficult US Open draw of any woman in the top four. The first few…
-
US Open 2026 Mixed Doubles: Confirmed Teams, Qualifying Field & Schedule
Last updated August 27, 2026, following the conclusion of the mixed doubles tournament and Iga Swiatek’s withdrawal. The US Open 2026 Mixed Doubles field has taken its final shape, and it looks considerably different from the original 29-team entry list. Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic, Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz, and Diana Shnaider and Casper…
-
The Aryna Sabalenka Slump Narrative Has a Hard-Court Problem
There is one fairly substantial problem with the idea that Aryna Sabalenka is enduring a bad 2026 season. On hard courts, she is 22-3. That is an 88.0% winning percentage, the highest Sabalenka has recorded at this point of any season since our comparison begins in 2018. Her dominance ratio sits at 1.44, virtually level…