Maja Chwalinska WTA Ranking WTA

WTA Rankings: Chwalinska causes an earthquake at the top

Carlos Navarro - 18 Oct 2026
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Chwalinska's earthquake in the ranking.

The end of the season is approaching on the women's circuit, and all we were missing was a new protagonist stepping into the circle of champions. We are talking about Maja Chwalinska, who has let go of the weight of pressure and unrealistic expectations, unexpectedly proclaiming herself champion at the WTA Wuhan 2026 and putting the finishing touch on a year in which she already made history at Roland Garros. All of this, of course, has consequences for the WTA ranking... and the Pole is the central figure of the main ranking upheaval.

In a top-10 with no changes following the premature exits of names like Aryna Sabalenka and the absences in China of others like Elena Rybakina, the great mover in the rankings has been the Pole, who has come very close to the top 10 (a situation almost identical to Jódar's after Shanghai). However, the gap separating her from the top ten is still wide: she is almost 900 points behind Marta Kostyuk, making it very clear that it is difficult to see significant changes in the upper tier of the table before the WTA Finals.

Sonay Kartal, the big rise of the week

The spotlight in Wuhan, however, is shared: what a great story it is for Sonay Kartal, who was away from the circuit for months due to physical problems and also used variety and a style of tennis far from power to reach the final in China. Her rise in the rankings is simply staggering: she climbs a whopping 120 positions to return to the top 50, demonstrating that only her physical condition kept her away from a place of privilege and that she is more than ready to aim for even better positions.

There isn't much time left, then, to close the curtain on a year that now faces a slight series of WTA 500 tournaments: Rybakina, Kostyuk, or Swiatek lead the lineup in Ningbo, while Ann Li, Payton Stearns, or Kartal herself will seek "easier" points at the WTA 250 in Osaka. Afterwards, another 500 in Tokyo... and the WTA Finals just around the corner, with a nice battle in which Swiatek and Kostyuk will need many points to surpass Muchova.

Main rises and falls in the WTA ranking after WTA Wuhan 2026

  • #11 Maja Chwalinska (+11)

  • #24 Jelena Ostapenko (+10)

  • #25 Ann Li (+6)

  • #50 Sonay Kartal (+120)

  • #33 Ekaterina Alexandrova (-9)

  • #88 Tereza Valentová (-26)

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Ranking WTA: Chwalinska genera un terremoto en la parte alta