Elena Rybakina broke the record for the most aces in WTA 1000 tournaments in a single year by serving 235 aces at that level during the course of the 2023 season.
Rybakina surpassed Karolina Pliskova's total of 234 which she held from the 2019 season. Since the format was introduced in 2009 (initially named Premier Mandatory and Premier 5), only Serena Williams (233) and Karolina Pliskova (234) have crossed the 230 mark.
And now Rybakina has eclipsed them both after her run to the semifinal of the China Open. The Kazakh tallied 38 aces during the week, garnering wins over Qinwen Zheng, Tatjana Maria, Mirra Andreeva, and Aryna Sabalenka. Her campaign came to a screeching halt in the last four against Liudmila Samsonova.
Rybakina's serve has been a cornerstone to her title wins in Indian Wells and Rome. At the Miami Open, she became the first woman to serve 10 or more aces in four different matches at the same tournament since Serena Williams at the 2020 US Open.
The 24-year-old has the second-most aces in 2023 (401), trailing ace leader Caroline Garcia by just three aces. Rybakina has played five matches fewer than the French player, which makes her achievement slightly more impressive.
She'll have the chance to overtake Garcia at WTA Finals after a low back injury forced her to withdraw from next week's Zhengzhou Open. Rybakina may not have won a Grand Slam this season (was a runner-up at the Australian Oepn), but this is officially her career-best season on the WTA Tour.
She has won 46 matches from 61, translating to a 75.4% winning rate, which is significantly higher than last year's rate of 63.5% (won 40 of 63), and will have the chance to add to a few more wins under her belt at the WTA Finals where Rybakina is set to become the first Kazakh woman to play at the season finale.
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