Rybakina Reaches Ningbo Final

Elena Rybakina advanced to the Ningbo Open final on Friday by defeating Diana Shnaider 6-3, 7-5.

The world number one, who is the defending champion, will face Leylah Fernandez in Sunday's title match. Fernandez, an unseeded player from Canada, secured her spot by beating Marie Bouzkova 6-3, 7-5 in the other semifinal. Both matches were played at the Yinzhou International Tennis Centre in eastern China.

Rybakina arrived in Ningbo following a rough stretch of results. She lost heavily in Beijing and withdrew from the Wuhan tournament due to a foot injury. In the semifinal, she struggled against the 13th-ranked Shnaider, a left-hander, but managed to close out the match in two sets.

The top seed took control of the first set with aggressive play from the back of the court. She sealed the set on her 11th set point. Rybakina noted that she was playing well initially but had trouble closing out games. "It was on my serve, and it was a struggle," she said. "I was playing the first balls really well, but I couldn't close the game."

The second set followed a similar trajectory. Rybakina broke serve to lead 4-3 but was broken to love in the 10th game. She responded with powerful shots to regain the lead and then served effectively to finish the match. The 27-year-old, a three-time Grand Slam winner, acknowledged the difficulty of facing a left-handed opponent. "It's always difficult to play against left-handers," she said. "We don't have so many on the tour."

Fernandez is also left-handed, presenting a similar challenge for Rybakina in the final. The Kazakh player plans to use the remaining time to refine her game before the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo next week. She will then head to Indian Wells on November 8 to begin her defense of the WTA Finals title.

Asked about her chances of winning the Ningbo Open for the second consecutive year, Rybakina remained cautious. "It's never easy," she said. "Of course I'll try to do my best. I'm going to fight and give my all tomorrow."