"I still need to win a lot of matches" - Elena Rybakina discloses her priorities ahead of Ningbo showdown with Jasmine Paolini
WTASaturday, 18 October 2025 at 02:30
Former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina booked her spot to the semifinals at the 2025 Ningbo Open, and is one step closer to qualifying for the year-ending WTA Finals. However, the tennis star admitted to having other concerns over participating at the event.
Rybakina made quick work of Ajla Tomljanovic in the quarterfinals, scoring a ruthless 6-2 6-0 victory over the Aussie veteran. Awaiting Rybakina in the semifinals is Italian Jasmine Paolini, who recorded a three set win over Swiss star Belinda Bencic to secure her ticket to the final four in Ningbo.
Both Rybakina and Paolini are in the hunt for qualification to the WTA Finals in Riyadh. The elite event features the top eight singles players battle it out for the prestigious trophy, with American Coco Gauff prevailing at the 2024 edition.
Six of the eight spots have been confirmed for this year's event, with Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff all having qualified. Americans Jessica Pegula, Amanda Anisimova and Madison Keys have also secured their tickets to the event, with just two spots left up for grabs.
Rybakina would like to end the year on a strong note
The World No.9 has a shot at booking her appearance at the WTA Finals, although she would have to defeat Paolini in order to keep her chances alive. The Kazakh star is 320 points behind eighth position, with Paolini and Russian Mirra Andreeva currently occupying the final two spots.
Nonetheless, Rybakina has stated she feels no pressure to qualify for the event. The former World No.3 stated she would rather finish the 2025 season with a good bill of health, backed by strong performances at the remaining events on her calendar.
"I won’t say it’s pressure,” said Rybakina. “Of course it would be nice to qualify. But I know for this I still need to win a lot of matches. Not only here, but also next week (in Tokyo).
"I just try to finish the season as best as possible. Most important is to stay healthy,” said the star. “The season has been very long. Not that successful for me. But I still think it’s been pretty decent. Just important to stay healthy and be ready for the next one."
"I just try to finish the season as best as possible. Most important is to stay healthy,” said the star. “The season has been very long. Not that successful for me. But I still think it’s been pretty decent. Just important to stay healthy and be ready for the next one."
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mandoist15-11-2025 - WTA needs to be held to account for their inept approaches to this growing issue. To date WTA's "actions" has been counting the negative, dangerous posts on "Social" Media. Yeah, that's helpful.mandoist15-11-2025
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