TOKYO (AP) — Top-ranked Elena Rybakina secured the year-end No. 1 ranking with a last-16 win at the Pan Pacific Open on Thursday, while Naomi Osaka lost in front of her home crowd.
Rybakina beat Yulia Putintseva 6-2, 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals and will stay the world No. 1 at the conclusion of a year when she won two Grand Slams — the Australian Open and the U.S. Open.
Having won Wimbledon in 2022, Rybakina — a 27-year-old born in Russia but representing Kazakhstan — is only a French Open title away from completing the career Grand Slam.
Osaka, a former No. 1 and four-time major winner, lost to Slovakian teenager Mia Pohankova 6-3, 7-5 in an upset.
Pohankova, a wild-card entry who turned 18 a week ago and was the 2025 junior singles champion at Wimbledon, will face Alycia Parks next.
Osaka was coming off a win over Jasmine Paolini in the first round in Tokyo.
In another round-of-16 match, Leylah Fernandez defeated No. 14 Elise Mertens 6-2, 7-6 (8).
Second-seeded Maja Chwalinska and Belinda Bencic pulled out of the tournament earlier with injuries. Chwalinska had an injured left thigh and Bencic had a right-ankle injury.
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