Ningbo Open Round-Up: Elena Rybakina boosts her chances of qualifying for Riyadh after defeating Jasmine Paolini to reach Ningbo Open final

The race to Riyadh is still very much on for Elana Rybakina who defeated Jasmine Paolini 6-3, 6-2 to reach the Ningbo Open final. It is only her second final of the year, but a hugely important one if she wants to qualify for the WTA Finals.

The 2022 Wimbledon champion has finally managed to get over the line to leave herself a whisker away from another WTA title. She has previously played in two finals before in China, losing them both back in 2019 and 2020. This is the first time she has reached the final stages in Ningbo, with her looking to finally clinch a maiden title in China.

The Kazakhstani had previously beaten Dayana Yastremska and Ajla Tomljanovic to reach the semi-final stage. Her opponent would be the number two seed Paolini, who recently succumbed to defeat against a rejuvenated Coco Gauff in Wuhan. She was looking for back-to-back finals and a third consecutive triumph over Rybakina.

Despite there being seven consecutive holds to kick the tie off, the majority of them were very closely fought with a few break points going to waste. Eventually, it was Rybakina who took the advantage in a drawn-out game which saw seven deuces and three break points squandered before she took her fourth. Paolini was poised to instantly reply but could not take her third break point opportunity of the tie, with Rybakina swiftly closing out the first set.

The Italian was looking for a way back into the second set but was met by a ruthless Rybakina who stole the show in the second half, winning five games on the bounce. After levelling at 2-2, the 26-year-old stormed out to a 0-40 lead, but Paolini fought her way back level, only to be broken moments later. She backed that up with a comfortable hold before nicking an ominous break to double her advantage and leave her one game away from the final. The two-time Grand Slam finalist was not going out without a fight, going 0-40 ahead. In similar circumstances to the events of earlier, she was pegged back before fourth opportunity passed by her. Not wanting to drag it out, Rybakina won the last three points to book her place in the final.

The world number 10 and fourth seed in Ningbo Ekaterina Alexandrova will be her opponent after the Russian came out on top against her fellow countrywoman Diana Shnaider 6-3, 6-4 for her fourth final in 2025. She recently made it to the Korea Open final but was pegged back by an inform Iga Swiatek.

The 30-year-old sprant into a 5-1 lead, which included two breaks. Shnaider managed to get one of those back, and had numerous opportunities to put the tie back on serve but was unable to capitalise on them, as Alexandrova clinched her second set point. They traded breaks at the start of the second set before a definitive break from Alexandrova was enough to keep her opponent at arm's length. It took her six match points to eventually get the job done, but attention now turns to Rybakina in the final, who in turn will have an eye on the standings for the WTA Finals.

This deep run from both Rybakina and Paolini is dreadful news for Mirra Andreeva, who suffered another early round exit as her woes on the court prolong. Despite taking the first set, she was pegged back by the world 219 Lin Zhu, who picked up a famous victory. This adds to the round-of-32 exit in Wuhan, and the round-of-16 defeat to Sonay Kartal in the China Open.

While she faulters, her rivals creep up to her as they look to get their names in the mix for Riyadh. It is extremely tight for those last two places, with Paolini having leapfrogged Andreeva into seventh with her recent upturn in form. A title in Ningbo for Rybakina would move her to within 15 points of the 18-year-old in eighth and final qualifying position, and within 20 of Paolini.

Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys have all qualified for the event, with just two players left to make up the numbers for the WTA Finals. The Pan Pacific Open may be one of the last big tournaments for these players to get the points they desperately yearn for, with Rybakina and Paolini set to participate.