Numbers usually don't lie, but in tennis, they definitely omit the truth. If you look at the top female tennis players rankings right now, you see Aryna Sabalenka sitting on a mountain of points—10,990 to be exact. It looks like a done deal. She’s the queen of the hill, and Iga Swiatek is trailing by a massive 2,662 points.
But honestly? That gap is kinda deceptive.
We’re sitting in January 2026, and the tour has just exploded back into life. Sabalenka just bagged the Brisbane title. Swiatek helped Poland clinch the United Cup. Everyone is revving their engines for the Australian Open, and that is where the ranking points go to die or be reborn.
The top 10 shakeup: Bencic is actually back
The biggest story this week isn't even at the very top. It's Belinda Bencic. If you weren't paying attention during the United Cup, you missed a masterclass. Bencic went 5-0 in singles, basically dragging Switzerland to the final on her back.
She just vaulted back into the top 10.
Think about that for a second. Fifteen months ago, she was unranked. Zero points. Nothing. Coming back from maternity leave is hard enough, but she’s playing with more power than she had back in 2023. She’s now sitting at World No. 10 with 3,512 points, displacing Ekaterina Alexandrova.
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Here is how the upper crust looks as of January 12, 2026:
- Aryna Sabalenka (10,990 pts) – Holding firm at No. 1.
- Iga Swiatek (8,328 pts) – No. 2, but gaining momentum on hard courts.
- Coco Gauff (6,423 pts) – Reclaimed No. 3 after a solid United Cup showing.
- Amanda Anisimova (6,320 pts) – Dropped to No. 4 but still within striking distance.
- Elena Rybakina (5,850 pts) – Holding steady at No. 5.
- Jessica Pegula (5,453 pts) – The definition of consistency at No. 6.
- Jasmine Paolini (4,267 pts) – Up to No. 7.
- Mirra Andreeva (4,232 pts) – The teenager is now World No. 8.
- Madison Keys (4,003 pts) – Defending champion in Melbourne, currently No. 9.
- Belinda Bencic (3,512 pts) – The new (old) face at No. 10.
Why Coco Gauff is the real threat to the top two
Coco Gauff just turned 21. It’s easy to forget she’s basically still a kid in tour years, yet she just leapfrogged Amanda Anisimova to take back the No. 3 spot. She went 3-1 at the United Cup, and her movement looks sharper than it did all of last season.
While Sabalenka and Swiatek trade blows for the top spot, Gauff is quietly accumulating points without the same "defending champion" pressure in many of the upcoming spring tournaments. If Swiatek has a bad run in the Middle East swing in February, Gauff could actually make a play for No. 2.
The Anisimova surge isn't over yet
A lot of people thought Amanda Anisimova’s 2025 run was a fluke. She reached the US Open final, lost a tight one to Sabalenka, and shot up the rankings. Even though she slipped to No. 4 this week, her point total of 6,320 is massive.
She’s only 103 points behind Gauff.
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Anisimova has a winning record against Sabalenka (6-5). That is a stat very few people on earth can claim. When she’s hitting her spots, she takes the racket out of the opponent's hands. The only thing stopping her from being No. 1 is the occasional mental lapse during the "boring" rounds of smaller tournaments.
Watching the "Points Race" vs. the "Rolling Rankings"
The rolling rankings—the ones we see every Monday—tell you what happened over the last 52 weeks. But the Race to the WTA Finals is what tells you who is actually playing well right now.
In the 2026 race, Elina Svitolina is already making moves. She won Auckland. She’s currently No. 12 in the world, but if you look at just 2026 performance, she’s top five. Same goes for Marta Kostyuk. She reached the Brisbane final and jumped six spots to hit World No. 20.
The Melbourne factor: What happens next?
The Australian Open starts on January 18. This is the ultimate "ranking reset" for several players.
Madison Keys is the defending champion. She has 2,000 points to protect. If she loses early, she could fall completely out of the top 15, maybe even the top 20. On the flip side, Iga Swiatek didn't have her best Melbourne last year. She has "cheap" points to gain.
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If Swiatek wins the title and Sabalenka falls before the quarterfinals, that 2,600-point lead evaporates almost instantly.
Surprising names to watch in the top 30
Keep an eye on Iva Jovic. The American teenager just broke the top 30 (No. 30 exactly) after a semifinal run in Auckland. She’s 18 years old and playing like a veteran. Then there’s Naomi Osaka. She’s sitting at No. 16. She’s not "back" in the top 10 yet, but she’s the one player nobody wants to see in their section of the draw.
How to use these rankings for your own benefit
If you're following the top female tennis players rankings to figure out who to watch or how the season will unfold, don't just look at the names. Look at the surfaces.
- Clay specialists like Qinwen Zheng (No. 25) are currently "under-ranked" because we haven't hit the dirt season yet. Expect her to climb in April.
- Hard court hammers like Elena Rybakina usually peak right now. If she doesn't make a move in January or February, she might struggle to keep her top 5 spot when the tour moves to Europe.
- Health is the ultimate wildcard. Karolina Muchova (No. 19) and Marketa Vondrousova (No. 34) have the talent of top-five players, but their rankings reflect missed time due to injury. If they stay healthy for three months, they will skyrocket.
The next few weeks in Australia will redefine the top of the leaderboards. Sabalenka is the favorite, but in women's tennis, being the favorite is often the heaviest burden to carry.
Actionable Insights for Following the Rankings:
- Check the "Points to Defend" lists before every Grand Slam; it explains why a player might drop in rank even if they win a few matches.
- Monitor the WTA Live Rankings during tournaments; the official rankings only update on Mondays, but the live sites show you the moves in real-time.
- Watch the transition to the Middle East swing in February (Doha and Dubai) as these are WTA 1000 events that offer massive point hauls, often swinging the No. 3 to No. 7 spots wildly.