The main WTA star at the start of the 2026 season, Elena Rybakina, is closing in on world No.2 Iga Świątek. To keep pace in the rankings, she needs at least to repeat her semi-final run from last year.
Elena Rybakina
Since her triumphant Australian Open title, the Kazakh has played only one tournament. She did not skip the Qatar TotalEnergies Open, which is at the same level as the Dubai Tennis Championships. There she was seeded second but lost in the quarter-finals to the No.10 seed Victoria Mboko (5:7, 6:4, 4:6). Mboko is a tough opponent and one of the best players of her generation.
Kimberly Birrell
Kimberly Birrell only attempted to qualify for the Qatar TotalEnergies Open, but in the second round of qualifying she lost to world No.50 Sonay Kartal (5:7, 3:6). Even that result allowed her to climb two places in the rankings, although she is still at the bottom of the top 100 (No.94). The last time the Australian faced a top-10 opponent was at the Brisbane International in January this year, when she lost in the second round to then world No.3 Amanda Anisimova (1:6, 3:6).
Elena Rybakina vs Kimberly Birrell Prediction
Rybakina and Birrell have not met before, but the difference in level is clear. She does not allow herself to relax at tournaments of this category, so we are confident she will beat the much lower-ranked Australian comfortably.
