WTA Power Rankings: Top Stars Ready to Clash in…

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Summer vacation is over, it's back to business on the WTA Tour. Most of the game's top players have been resting up since Wimbledon, making Toronto their first stop on the summer hard-court swing.

The last couple of big events produced some surprising results on the WTA Tour. A couple of youngsters took advantage to secure their first Grand Slam titles, but now the top stars will be coming back to the hard courts looking to reestablish their control.

Their first opportunity begins over the weekend in Toronto. With first ball at the National Bank Open just days away, the Power Rankings break down the contenders.

*Note: Statistics are as of Monday, July 27th and do not account for results this week in Washington and Memphis.

(Brackets indicate change in position since the last edition of the Power Rankings from before Wimbledon.)

1) Aryna Sabalenka (-)

Actual Ranking: 1
2026 Record: 36-6
Notable Recent Result: Wimbledon R4
Best NBO Result: Semifinal (2021)

Sabalenka would’ve been waiting patiently for the National Bank Open as the back-to-back WTA Player of the Year returns to her favourite surface. The world No. 1 has been virtually unplayable on hard courts since the start of her 2025 US Open title run, sporting a 32-3 record on the surface over that span.

This year alone, Sabalenka only has one loss in her four hard-court events, which came in the Australian Open final. The 28-year-old opened the season with a title in Brisbane and then won the Sunshine Double, only dropping two sets across Indian Wells and Miami.

Entering the 2026 National Bank Open as the top seed for the first time since 2021, it’s up to the rest of the Toronto field to try to put a stop to Sabalenka’s dominance on the concrete.

- Francesco

2) Jessica Pegula (+1)

Actual Ranking: 3
2026 Record: 35-9
Notable Recent Result: Wimbledon QF
Best NBO Result: Champion (twice)

Few players have been as good in their National Bank Open careers as Pegula. In five main draw appearances, the American reached the semifinals four times and won the title twice, going back-to-back in 2023-2024. She is the only woman since 2000 to defend the NBO crown.

That astounding record in Canada is what made her third-round loss in Montreal last year so shocking. It was Pegula's first-ever main-draw loss before the final four at the National Bank Open.

Once again, the Buffalonian has been Ms. Consistent on the WTA Tour this season. Her 35 match wins are tied for third most on tour this year and only Sabalenka and Marta Kostyuk have a higher winning percentage. Of the 11 tournaments she has played this year, Pegula has reached the quarter-finals or better at nine of them, including Wimbledon.

- Pete

3) Coco Gauff (+3)

Actual Ranking: 4
2026 Record: 31-12
Notable Recent Result: Wimbledon SF
Best NBO Result: Quarter-Final (Three times)

2026 has been a roller-coaster for Gauff. She has had plenty of impressive results, especially at big tournaments, but has a few head-scratching losses mixed in. She showed serious grit at Wimbledon, where she won four straight three-setters, including wins over Pegula and Belinda Bencic, on her way to her first Grand Slam semifinal in over a year.

The young American has an interesting history in Canada. She reached the quarter-finals in her first three trips north of the border but fell short the last two years when, ironically, she was the top seed both times. The pressure will be off this year though with three players above her. After two WTA 1000 final losses earlier in the season, Gauff will be looking to finally get over the hump in Toronto.

- Pete

4) Elena Rybakina (-2)

Actual Ranking: 2
2026 Record: 34-11
Notable Recent Result: Wimbledon R3
Best NBO Result: Semifinal (Twice)

Rybakina is the second seed at this year’s National Bank Open – and rightfully so. Of Sabalenka’s three hard-court losses since the US Open, two have been at the hands of Rybakina, and she may trouble the top seed again if she makes the final in Toronto.

The Kazakhstani’s two wins over Sabalenka both led to titles, beating the world No. 1 for the WTA Finals and Australian Open crowns. Last season showed how much of a threat Rybakina can be during this swing as the 27-year-old made the semifinals in Washington, Montreal, and Cincinnati, but has yet to get her hands on any of the trophies.

- Francesco

5) Mirra Andreeva (-1)

Actual Ranking: 5
2026 Record: 37-11
Notable Recent Result: Wimbledon R2
Best NBO Result: Third Round (2025)

Toronto welcomes Andreeva for the first time as the teen looks to make her visit a memorable one. The 19-year-old was brilliant over the clay swing, reaching the Madrid final before capping off her time on the dirt with a maiden Grand Slam title at Roland-Garros.

Andreeva hasn’t quite hit the ground running on hard courts this season, but that’s not to say that she won’t be a threat in Toronto this August. The world No. 5 started the year with an Adelaide title, beating defending National Bank Open champion Victoria Mboko in the final, and won back-to-back WTA 1000s on the surface last season with record-setting triumphs in Doha and Indian Wells. The Toronto field has a lot to worry about when Andreeva finds her rhythm.

- Francesco

6) Iga Swiatek (-1)

Actual Ranking: 8
2026 Record: 23-12
Notable Recent Result: Wimbledon R3
Best NBO Result: Semifinal (2023)

If there is a top player on the WTA Tour in desperate need of a spark, it might be Swiatek. The six-time Grand Slam champion has yet to reach a final at any level in 2026 and has not reached a "Big" (Grand Slam or WTA 1000) final since Cincinnati last August.

The Pole is coming off difficult swings on both clay and grass, suffering her earliest loss at Roland-Garros since her 2019 debut and seeing her Wimbledon title defence end in the third round. However, Swiatek did have some good results earlier in the season on hard courts, reaching the quarter-finals of the Australian Open, Doha, and Indian Wells. Despite clay being historically her best surface, perhaps a return to hard courts will provide the reset she needs.

It is also worth remembering that Swiatek can snap out of a slump at a moment's notice, as evidenced by her Wimbledon win last year.

- Pete

7) Linda Noskova (+1)

Actual Ranking: 7
2026 Record: 27-11
Notable Recent Result: Wimbledon Champion
Best NBO Result: Second round (2025)

Noskova will be making her Toronto debut this year and she is bringing a shiny souvenir along with her. The Czech No. 2 was crowned a major champion for the first time at Wimbledon, beating four Top 25 players on her way to the Venus Rosewater Dish. Now, the 21-year-old’s sights are set on a maiden WTA 1000 title.

The Czech reached three WTA hard-court finals last season, making her first at the 1000-level in Beijing. Noskova’s best performance on the surface this year was in Indian Wells, where she cruised past Alexandra Eala en route to a semifinal finish.

- Francesco

8) Naomi Osaka (New)

Actual Ranking: 13
2026 Record: 20-8
Notable Recent Result: Wimbledon QF
Best NBO Result: Runner-up (2025)

The 2025 National Bank Open was just the spark that Osaka needed, and the former world No. 1 has not slowed down since reaching her first WTA 1000 final since 2022. Following Montreal, the four-time Grand Slam champion beat the likes of Gauff and Karolina Muchova at the US Open on her way to the semifinals, reentering the Top 15 after three years.

Osaka is riding a consistent spell heading into this season’s National Bank Open, having made at least the fourth round in each of the last four “Big” events. The Japanese even beat current world No. 1 Sabalenka for the first time since 2018 to reach the Wimbledon quarters.

- Francesco

9) Elina Svitolina (-)

Actual Ranking: 9
2026 Record: 35-10
Notable Recent Result: Wimbledon R1
Best NBO Result: Champion (2017)

It has been nearly a decade since Svitolina blew away the competition in Toronto, barely dropping games in a dominant title run. A lot has changed in the intervening years, including her having a baby, but the Ukrainian truly is looking more in 2026 like the player who claimed three WTA 1000 titles, including the National Bank Open, in 2017.

Svitolina has reached two WTA 1000 finals this season, winning in Rome. That run was particularly impressive as she beat Rybakina, Swiatek, and Gauff all in a row. She stumbled a bit on the grass but had been one of the best in the world through the first six months of the season. She has reached the semifinals or better at three of the six WTA 1000 events this season

- Pete

10) Amanda Anisimova (-3)

Actual Ranking: 9
2026 Record: 16-9
Notable Recent Result: Wimbledon R3
Best NBO Result: Runner-Up (2024)

Anisimova is returning to the city where her renaissance began back in 2024. Coming into Toronto ranked outside the Top 100, the American beat four of the Top 10 seeds to reach her first WTA 1000 final, only getting edged out by Pegula in three sets.

Expectations were high for Anisimova heading into 2026 after a strong 2025 campaign that included two WTA 1000 titles and two Grand Slam finals. So far this year, she has a Dubai semifinal and an Australian Open quarter-final to her name, but that's about it. She largely skipped the clay season but now will head back to hard courts where she has generally played her best. Most of Anisimova's best results in her career have come in the second half of the season so Toronto provides her with a great opportunity to (once again) build some form and confidence.

- Pete

The National Bank Open Power Rankings are a group collaboration by the Power Rankings Panel which includes:

Pete Borkowski – Manager of Editorial and Player Coverage, Tennis Canada
Melissa Boyd – Content Writer, Tennis Canada
Sarah-Jade Champagne – Content Specialist, Tennis Canada
Jonathan Chan - Content Contributor, Tennis Canada
Julie Gravel - Marketing Director, Tennis Canada
Edward Lee – Content Contributor, Tennis Canada
Hugues Leger – Producer, Podcast Sur La Ligne
Patrick Steski - Content Contributor, Tennis Canada
Francesco Tosini - Content Writer, Tennis Canada
Ravi Ubha - Content Contributor, Tennis Canada

The WTA's best return to Toronto next summer for the National Bank Open presented by Rogers Aug 1 to 13 at Sobeys Stadium. Get your tickets today!

Feature Photo: Peter Power