Rybakina Reaches Ningbo Open Final to Defend Title Against Fernandez

Defending champion Elena Rybakina has booked a place in the Ningbo Open final, beating Russian sixth seed Diana Shnaider 6-3, 7-5 in the semifinal. The result gives the world number one a chance to win the title in back-to-back years and serves as a reminder to her rivals ahead of next month's WTA Finals.

Her opponent in Sunday's final will be unseeded Canadian Leylah Fernandez. Fernandez earned her spot by defeating Czech player Marie Bouzkova by the same 6-3, 7-5 scoreline in the first semifinal at the Yinzhou International Tennis Centre in the eastern Chinese city.

Rybakina, the Australian Open and US Open champion, arrived in Ningbo after a difficult stretch. She suffered a heavy defeat in Beijing and then withdrew from Wuhan because of a foot injury. Against the 13th-ranked Shnaider she produced flashes of her best tennis, though not without some wobbles.

She took control of the opening set with an aggressive start, hitting powerful winners from deep in the court. A sudden dip in form made her work to finish it, and she sealed the set on her 11th set point. "It was an important game, and it was a long one," said Rybakina. "It was on my serve, and it was a struggle … I was playing the first balls really well, but I couldn't close the game … so many opportunities, but I'm glad it went my way. She played some great shots and great rallies."

The second set followed a similar pattern. The 27-year-old three-time Grand Slam winner continued to struggle with her first-serve accuracy but won the key points and moved ahead 4-3 with a break. She was then broken to love in the 10th game. Rybakina answered with some big hitting to take the lead again in the next game, then served far more assuredly to close out the win.

Shnaider's left-handed game posed particular problems. "She played really well, and it's always difficult to play against left-handers. We don't have so many on the tour," Rybakina said. "I needed some time. The returns were not as bad, but during the rallies, to switch the pattern was a little bit of an issue for me, but I'm happy I managed to win in two sets." Fernandez is also left-handed, so Rybakina faces a similar test in the final.

Rybakina hopes to sharpen her game further on Sunday before turning to the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo next week. After that, she will begin the defence of her WTA Finals title at Indian Wells from November 8.

Asked about the prospect of winning back-to-back trophies at the Ningbo Open, she was measured. "It's never easy," Rybakina said. "Of course I'll try to do my best. I'm going to fight and give my all tomorrow."