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Elena Rybakina reacts after reaching her sixth final of the season at the Ningbo Open
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- Elena Rybakina reacts after reaching her sixth final of the season at the Ningbo Open
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.
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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
Elena Rybakina reacts after reaching the Ningbo Open
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.
"I feel like the return was not as bad, but then during the rallies, to switch a little bit the patterns was a bit of an issue for me. But again, she played really well and I'm happy that I managed to win in two sets. In the second, I was struggling a bit, but happy with the win."
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Rybakina struggled to close out the first set on her serve, but eventually got over the line. "It was an important game, and it was a very long one," she said. Again, it was on my serve, so it was a struggle on my serve.
"I was playing the first balls really well, but then the advantage, I couldn't close the game and there were so many opportunities. But I'm glad that in the end it went my way. She played some really great shots, great rallies. But I'm happy that I won that important game."
Asked about defending her Ningbo Open title against Fernandez in the final, Rybakina said: "Yes, never easy. Of course, I will try to do my best. I give my all tomorrow. I'm going to fight. Thank you so much guys for coming and supporting. See you all tomorrow."
Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Elena Rybakina's head-to-head record with Leylah Fernandez
Rybakina is no stranger to her next opponent, Fernandez, having faced her five times before on the WTA Tour. They first clashed at the Qatar Open back in 2024, where Rybakina came out on top, but Fernandez earned revenge at the Cincinnati Open later that season to make it 1-1.
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Fernandez took a 2-1 lead in the head-to-head by beating Rybakina at the 2025 Washington Open, but the three-time major champion has since won two straight matches in their rivalry, the most recent of which came en route to her title triumph in Stuttgart earlier this season.
Fernandez is looking to win the seventh title of her career, while Rybakina is on the hunt for her 15th.
