Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka, WTA world No. 1 and No. 2, out of China Open‎

Throughout the 2026 season, Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka’s tennis fates have been intertwined at the top of the sport. They have contested three finals, two of them at Grand Slams. They have jostled for the world No. 1 ranking, which Rybakina seized a fortnight ago in New York before defeating Sabalenka in the U.S. Open final, just as she had defeated her to win the Australian Open in January. Saturday into Sunday at the China Open in Beijing, they produced tennis symmetry once more — with