Maja Chwalinska rises to No.11 in the WTA rankings, while Sonay Kartal and Bianca Andreescu are also on the rise.
Chris OddoOctober 19, 20263 minute read
Maja Chwalinska and Sonay Kartal were the unlikely stars of the show at the Wuhan Open, and both have been rewarded with career-high rankings after their remarkable runs to Sunday’s final.
Chwalinska, who rallied for a 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Kartal to claim her maiden WTA title, rises to a career-high No.11 in Monday’s WTA rankings, continuing a meteoric ascent that began with her stunning run to the Roland-Garros final in June.
The Pole was ranked No.114 when she arrived in Paris for her first Grand Slam main draw appearance, but has since established herself as one of the breakout stars of the 2026 season.
With her triumph in Wuhan, Chwalinska became just the fourth player to win her maiden WTA title at the 1000 level since the format’s inception in 2009, joining Naomi Osaka (2018 Indian Wells), Bianca Andreescu (2019 Indian Wells) and Victoria Mboko (2025 Montreal).
Kartal's rise has been equally remarkable. The Brit, who entered Wuhan ranked No.170, became the lowest-ranked WTA 1000 finalist in history, excluding the unranked Jennifer Capriati at Hilton Head in 1990.The 24-year-old jumps 121 places to No.49, returning to the Top 50 for the first time since February. Kartal is now just five spots shy of the career-high No.44 ranking she achieved in July 2025.
Ann Li Cracks Top 25, Andreescu and Burel Continue Comebacks
American Ann Li is another player celebrating a career-high ranking this week. The 26-year-old rises six places from No.31 to No.25 after a strong showing in Wuhan that included a victory over Aryna Sabalenka, her third career Top 10 win.
Elsewhere, former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu is making progress in her bid to return to the upper echelons of the sport.
The Canadian claimed her biggest title in seven years at the WTA 125 event in Rovereto, defeating Dominika Salkova 7-6(2), 6-2 in the final. Andreescu, who captured the 2019 US Open title on her main draw debut as a teenager, jumps 36 places to No.132.
France’s Clara Burel also has reason to celebrate after capturing the WTA 125 title in Lisbon. The former World No.42, who missed a year of competition due to a knee injury, continues her comeback and rises to No.158.
Sloane Stephens claimed a 100k title in Emond, Oklahoma and continues her push towards the Top 100. She’s up to No.118 this week from 1102 at this year’s Australian Open.
WTA Finals Race: One Spot Still Up for Grabs
With seven of the eight places at the season-ending WTA Finals in Indian Wells already claimed, the battle for the final qualification spot remains one of the most intriguing storylines of the closing weeks of the season.
Race to the WTA Finals – Top 10
| Rank | Player | Points | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elena Rybakina | 7,502 | Qualified |
| 2 | Aryna Sabalenka | 6,560 | Qualified |
| 3 | Mirra Andreeva | 6,306 | Qualified |
| 4 | Jessica Pegula | 5,835 | Qualified |
| 5 | Coco Gauff | 5,774 | Qualified |
| 6 | Elina Svitolina | 5,229 | Qualified |
| 7 | Karolina Muchova | 4,735 | In contention |
| 8 | Linda Noskova | 4,354 | Qualified |
| 9 | Iga Swiatek | 4,189 | In contention |
| 10 | Marta Kostyuk | 3,920 | In contention |
Karolina Muchova currently occupies eighth place in the Race to the WTA Finals standings, with 4,735 points, but Iga Swiatek (4,189) and Marta Kostyuk (3,920) remain in contention with two weeks left to make their moves.
The WTA Finals will take place November 8-15 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in California.
