Elena Rybakina reacts after reaching her sixth final of the season at the Ningbo Open
Elena Rybakina has reached the final of the Ningbo Open after defeating Diana Shnaider in straight sets. She will face Leylah Fernandez in the championship match as she continues her pursuit of the year-end world number one ranking.
Why it matters
Rybakina's performance is critical to the WTA season rankings and the competitive hierarchy of professional women's tennis.
Elena Rybakina is now one win away from clinching her fourth title of the 2026 WTA season after reaching the Ningbo Open final.
Rybakina defeated sixth seed Diana Shnaider in straight sets to advance to the championship match in Ningbo, where she is the defending champion. The Kazakh star is in pursuit of finishing the season as the year-end world number one for the first time in her career.
Rybakina will take on Leylah Fernandez in the final, who is bidding to secure her second title of the Asian swing after triumphing in Singapore.
Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP via Getty Images
Speaking in her on-court interview after the match, Rybakina said of Shnaider: "She played really well. It's always difficult to play against lefties. We don't have so many on the tour, so I needed some time.
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