Leylah Fernandez climbs seven spots to No. 23 in latest WTA rankings

Leylah Fernandez, of Canada, returns the ball to Jessica Pegula, of the United States, during the third round of the U.S. Open tennis championships Friday, Sept. 4, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Canada’s Leylah Fernandez jumped seven spots to No. 23 in the latest WTA rankings released Monday following her run to the Ningbo Open final in China.

The 24-year-old from Laval, Que., made the biggest move among players in the top 25 after falling 6-2, 6-2 to world No. 1 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in Sunday’s championship match.

Fernandez was seeking her second title of the season after winning in Singapore in late September and the seventh of her WTA career.

Fellow Canadian Victoria Mboko moved up one spot to No. 15 despite remaining sidelined with a knee injury suffered in June.

Mboko, from Burlington, Ont., benefited from Belinda Bencic’s six-place drop to No. 20.

Rybakina retained the top spot with 9,501 points after capturing her fourth title of the season and 15th of her career. Aryna Sabalenka remained second, followed by Mirra Andreeva, Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 26, 2026.