Road to the WTA Finals: Rybakina’s commanding start fuels hopes for Riyadh

For a lengthy moment in the first half of 2024, it looked like Elena Rybakina might make a push for the No.1 ranking.

In April, Rybakina was the Hologic WTA Tour leader in titles, finals, aces and match-wins -- yes, even ahead of Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka at that stage. She won 34 of her first 39 matches this season, including three WTA 500 titles.

Road to the WTA Finals: Sabalenka | Swiatek | Gauff | Paolini | Rybakina | Pegula | Zheng | Krejcikova

Meet the top doubles teams heading to Riyadh

A loss to Jasmine Paolini in the Roland Garros quarterfinals briefly interrupted her momentum, but Rybakina quickly rebounded, making a strong run at Wimbledon and coming just shy of a second title, falling to eventual champion Barbora Krejcikova in the semifinals.

But injuries and ailments have weighed on Rybakina’s season, particularly in the latter half of 2024. The 25-year-old has been sidelined since her loss at the US Open two months ago.

But don't count her out as the WTA Finals approach. We know how dominant Rybakina can be, even after a prolonged absence. Recall Wimbledon two years ago, when she wasn’t a pre-tournament favorite, yet rained down aces to capture her first Grand Slam title.

Rybakina has the ability to make a strong impression in Riyadh and reach the latter stages of the WTA Finals for the first time. And the Monday morning quarterbacking from many of us would have us saying we saw it coming all along.

Season snapshot:
2024 tour-level win-loss record: 41-9
2024 titles: 3 (Brisbane, Abu Dhabi, Stuttgart)
Previous WTA Finals appearances: 1
Best WTA Finals result: Group stage last year (1-2 record)

Defining moment: Rybakina's run on the indoor clay of Stuttgart truly served notice that she was laser-focused on becoming the best in the world. Rybakina toppled clay-court standout Iga Swiatek in the semis and dismantled Marta Kostyuk in the final to win a Porsche.

Social buzz corner: ... Having said that, she can't drive that Porsche, as she informed the crowd in Stuttgart:

Notable stats: 

• Rybakina posted two separate eight-match winning streaks this season, in the Middle East swing (Abu Dhabi title and Doha semifinals) and the clay-court season (Stuttgart title and Madrid quarterfinals)
• She made five finals in the first four months of the season, the first player to do that on tour since Victoria Azarenka in 2012
• Despite missing the last two months of action, she is still No.2 on tour for total aces in 2024. Rybakina hit 336 total aces this year, trailing only Zheng Qinwen (406)

From the camera roll: Jumping for joy -- Rybakina warms up at the 2024 Mutua Madrid Open during her eight-match clay-court winning streak:

Hot shots: Rybakina found some of her best points of the year in a second-round win over Lucia Bronzetti at the Mutua Madrid Open:

Memorable quote: "I always believe in myself, of course, but it not only depends on me. There is a lot of great players, tough opponents. But I know if I feel fresh, if I'm physically ready, healthy, I'm playing my game, of course I have all the chances to win Grand Slam on any surface." -- Rybakina, after winning her third title of the year in Stuttgart