Czech teenager Sara Bejlek has surged 63 places to No. 38 in the latest WTA rankings following her victory at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open. The 20-year-old qualifier claimed her maiden WTA title by defeating Ekaterina Alexandrova in the final. Other notable climbers include Oleksandra Oliynykova and Hailey Baptiste after strong showings in recent tournaments.
The WTA rankings update on February 9, 2026, highlights significant movements following last week's tournaments in Abu Dhabi, Cluj-Napoca, and Ostrava. Sara Bejlek, ranked No. 101 at the start of the week, rocketed into the top 50 for the first time after winning the WTA 500 event in Abu Dhabi. The 20-year-old, who turned that age on January 31, entered as a qualifier and secured seven straight victories, including her first top-20 wins over Clara Tauson in the semifinals and Alexandrova in the final. This marks her as the first qualifier to win a WTA 500 or higher title since Tatjana Maria at Queen's in 2025 and the lowest-ranked such champion since Marketa Vondrousova at No. 164 in Berlin last year. Bejlek, the fifth-youngest current WTA titlist, built her momentum with three WTA 125 titles in 2025 at Makarska, Rende, and Queretaro, breaking into the top 100 in October.
Ukrainian Oleksandra Oliynykova rose 20 spots to a career-high No. 71 after reaching the semifinals in Cluj-Napoca as a qualifier in her second WTA main draw. She notched her first top-50 win over Wang Xinyu and pushed Emma Raducanu in a 2-hour, 48-minute quarterfinal. American Hailey Baptiste climbed 17 places to No. 39 with her first career semifinal in Abu Dhabi, defeating Emma Navarro and Liudmila Samsonova for her fourth and fifth top-20 victories.
Sorana Cirstea won the Cluj-Napoca title without dropping a set, her first on home soil and fourth career trophy, rising to No. 31. Katie Boulter captured the Ostrava event at No. 120, jumping 36 spots to No. 84. Emma Raducanu, runner-up in Cluj-Napoca, moved up five to No. 25. In the top 10, Elina Svitolina rose to No. 9, while Alexandrova entered at No. 10 after her Abu Dhabi final. Alexandra Eala reached a career-high No. 40 following her quarterfinal run.
These results underscore the WTA 125 circuit's role in propelling players like Bejlek and Oliynykova to higher levels in 2026.