Rankings Watch: Bencic returns to Top 10, Jovic breaks Top 30

The 2026 season on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz kicked off with clinical display by some of the games top players. Both the Brisbane WTA 500 event and the Auckland WTA 250 event were won by their top seeds, Aryna Sabalenka and Elina Svitolina. Meanwhile, Poland captured the United Cup trophy for the first time, edging Switzerland in the final.

Switzerland’s MVP was Belinda Bencic, who went 5-0 in singles and won four of her five doubles matches to carry the team to its first United Cup final. The 28-year-old is rewarded with a return to the Top 10 for the first time since March 2023, moving up one spot from No. 11 to No. 10 in the latest PIF WTA Rankings.

Bencic was unranked 15 months ago when she returned from maternity leave. Since then, the former No. 4 has also won a pair of titles in Abu Dhabi and Tokyo, as well as reaching her second career Grand Slam semifinal at Wimbledon.

Kostyuk, Wang Xinyu reset with final runs; Jovic breaks Top 30

Both Marta Kostyuk and Wang Xinyu took a step back last season. From a career high of No. 16 in June 2024, Kostyuk fell out of the Top 30 last April. Wang, who first reached her peak of No. 32 in October 2023, sank out of the Top 50 by the end of 2025.

Both Kostyuk, 23, and Wang, 24, opened 2026 in improved form. Kostyuk carried a strong preseason into Brisbane, where she posted three Top 10 wins -- over Amanda Anisimova, Mirra Andreeva and Jessica Pegula -- to reach the fourth final of her career. The Ukrainian returns to the Top 20 this week, climbing six places from No. 26 to No. 20.

In Auckland, Wang reached her second career final with a run that included a win from match point down in the semifinals over Alexandra Eala. The Chinese player bounces 14 places up from No. 57 to No. 43.

The youngest player in the Top 100, 18-year-old Iva Jovic, also started 2026 with a strong result. The American teenager reached her second tour-level semifinal in Auckland, and enters the Top 30 for the first time with a five-place jump from No. 35 to No. 30.

Other notable rankings movements

Coco Gauff, +1 to No. 3: Last week, Gauff slipped out of the Top 3 after her 2025 United Cup champion's points fell off a week. The American went 3-1 in this year's competition to help the United States reach the semifinals, returning her to the Top 3.

Elina Svitolina, +1 to No 12: The Ukrainian collected her 19th career title in Auckland, improving her record in WTA finals to a remarkable 19-4.

Victoria Mboko, +1 to No. 17: Making her debut for Canada in the United Cup, Mboko compiled a 1-1 record and inches up to a new career high.

Alexandra Eala, +4 to No. 49: The 20-year-old Filipina made her second tour-level semifinal in Auckland, and also reaches a new career high.

Joanna Garland, +12 to No. 117: Chinese Taipei's Garland ended 2025 by reaching her first WTA semifinal in Chennai. The 24-year-old opened 2026 by capturing her maiden WTA 125 title last week in Canberra, and she climbs to a new career high.

Kaitlin Quevedo, +12 to No. 129: Quevedo, 19, qualified for her first WTA main draw in Auckland, then upset Peyton Stearns to notch her second Top 100 victory. The Spanish teenager is also up to a new career high.

Himeno Sakatsume, +11 to No. 140: Sakatsume, 24, reached her first WTA quarterfinal at the end of 2025 in Hong Kong. The Japanese player opened 2026 by making the Canberra WTA 125 semifinals as a qualifier, a result that lifts her to a new career high.

Sofia Costoulas, +16 to No. 143: Belgium's Costoulas qualified for her first main draw in Auckland, then proceeded to go all the way to the quarterfinals. The 20-year-old, a former junior No. 2, also notches a new career high this week.

Polina Kudermetova, +17 to No. 150: For the second year in a row, Kudermetova has begun her season by reaching a final. In 2025, she was the Brisbane runner-up as a qualifier, a result that put her into the Top 100 for the first time. Twelve months on, the Uzbekistani player is having to rebuild her ranking -- helped by a run to the Canberra WTA 125 final.

Olivia Gadecki, +33 to No. 171: Former No. 83 Gadecki is also in the process of rebuilding her ranking. The 2024 Guadalajara finalist fell to No. 295 last September, but is back in the Top 200 after reaching the Brisbane second round as a qualifier.

Mananchaya Sawangkaew, +52 to No. 195: Last May, Sawangkaew became the third Thai player in rankings history to enter the Top 100 -- only to spend the next six months sidelined by a back injury. The 23-year-old is already on her way back up after winning last week's Nonthaburi ITF W75 event without dropping a set.

Lisa Pigato, +28 to No. 238: Back in 2021, Pigato made a memorable debut, facing Serena Williams as a 17-year-old qualifier in Parma and asking the 23-time major champion for a selfie afterwards. Now 22 years old, the Italian reached her first ITF W75 final in Nonthaburi last week and rises to a new career high.