The fourth month of the 2026 WTA Tour season marks the start of the clay court event with four tournaments scheduled in April, although one of those events will end in May.
The Linz Open is the first tournament of the month with the WTA 500 starting on April 6 – although no top 10 will be in Austria – before the big-name players begin their clay-court debut at the Stuttgart Open from April 13-19.
The Open de Rouen takes place at the same time as the WTA 500 Stuttgart event while the WTA 1000 Madrid Open brings down the curtain in April, but it is a two-week tournament with the finals taking place in the first week of May.
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With the WTA using a 52-week accumulation system for rankings, players will defend points from seasons/tournaments in the previous 12 months.
Those points are dropped at the start of the tournament, and players earn points for their progress around the event.
WTA Top 10 at the beginning of April
1. Aryna Sabalenka – 11,025
2. Elena Rybakina – 8,108
3. Coco Gauff – 7,278
4. Iga Swiatek – 7,263
5. Jessica Pegula – 6,243
6. Amanda Anisimova – 6,180
7. Elina Svitolina – 3.965
8. Jasmine Paolini – 3,907
9. Victoria Mboko – 3,531
10. Mirra Andreeva – 3,121
Points Selected Players Will Drop
Aryna Sabalenka – 1,325
World No 1 Sabalenka leads the WTA rankings and has played in two events in 2025 as she appeared at the Stuttgart Open and Madrid Open.
She finished second to Germany’s Jelena Ostapenko so she will drop 325 points for the event while beating Coco Gauff in Madrid, another thousand points.
Elena Rybakina – 65
The reigning Australian Open is in a good position to put pressure on Sabalenka in the battle for the No. 1 spot as she only played one event last April and that was at the Madrid Open where she lost in the third round.
Rybakina participated in the Stuttgart Open and Madrid Open this year.
Coco Gauff – 758
Gauff moved past Iga Swiatek to No 3 in the rankings after the Miami Open, but has more points to defend than the Pole in April.
The American lost in the quarter-finals in Stuttgart (108) last year when he was second to Sabalenka in Madrid (650).
Iga Swiatek – 498
After a tough Sunshine Double, reigning Wimbledon champion Swiatek will be hoping a switch to her favorite venue will help her regain form.
Pole was defeated in the last eight in Stuttgart in 2025 and the semi-final in Madrid (390).
Jessica Pegula – 173
Pegula was also a quarter-finalist in Stuttgart last year and lost in the third round in Madrid.
A note to the American, he is down 500 points from the current Charleston Open as he is the defending champion so his total of 6,243 is technically 5,743, but he will certainly be able to gain more points with his progress on the circuit.
Amanda Anisimiva – 10
Like Pegula, Anisimova also drops points in Charleston (-195), but she actually has a free shot in April as she only played at the Madrid Open last year and lost in the second round.
Victoria Mboko – 1
The Canadian played in the WTA 125 L’Open 35 de Saint-Malo in 2025 and lost in the first round, so there is a good chance to advance in the rankings in April for the rising star.
Emma Raducanu – 35
The British No 1 played in just one tournament in April 2025 and that was the Madrid Open where he lost in the second round.
She aims to be part of the Linz Open and the WTA 1000 event in Spain in 2026.
Alex Yeala – 15
The Filipino dropped to No 45 in the WTA Rankings after her 16th exit at the Miami Open, but there is good news in terms of rankings on the road.
Eala played in the WTA 125K Oeiras Ladies Open and lost in the second round.
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