Elena Rybakina avoids major scare against World No.128 to reach Ningbo Open semi-finals

Elena Rybakina was seemingly strolling out into a comfortable win over Katarzyna Kawa, but a drop in level put her under the cosh. She managed to come through a huge scare against the qualifier, winning 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 to continue her title defence at the Ningbo Open.

The World No.1 completes her first full match in this tournament since last year’s final, following Polina Kudermetova’s retirement, as the Kazakh led 5-0. She was in control of that match, and in the first set of this one she was on top before grinding out a hard fought win.

She is looking to gain some momentum swiped away from her in recent weeks. Her US Open triumph feels like it was a long time ago with injury and a disastrous second round defeat at the China Open signalling some more time away from the court. Wuhan was skipped as she looks to get back to her best in Ningbo.

All of the action now leads to the WTA Finals, in which Rybakina is the defending champion. She will most certainly be the one to beat, but for the time being her quest for silverware in China is still most certainly on.

It was the first time the duo had met. Kawa won two qualifying matches before defeating Daria Snigur and, most significantly, Belinda Bencic to earn a tie against the best player in the world, but it was a step too far on this occasion for the World No.128, despite giving it a good go.

It seemed very simple for Rybakina after winning the first set in 22 minutes. Her game then fell off a cliff as Kawa fought her way back. A third set was needed as Rybakina looked to avoid a similar upset to the one endured in Beijing against Alina Charaeva. She stamped her authority in the third set and survived a major scare.

From the off, Rybakina was intending on sending out a statement. She was only competing in a third match as the highest-ranked player in the world, and she was looking for her first fully completed-match win. She began by dropping only three points in the opening two games, clinching an ominous break to sail into a 2-0 lead.

That was backed up with another solid hold before Kawa got on the board. This was not the boost that the Pole was desperately looking for. Rybakina soon restored her three-game gap as she won seven points on the spin. With three break point chances on the table, she took the third one before a trademark ace completed the first set in style.

More daylight was secured from the start of the second set. A break of serve left Kawa pinned against the wall, but she had the chance to alleviate some of the pressure with the first break points. Two were saved before she created another in deuce and broke back.

It was almost extinguished a game later. Rybakina threatened an instant response after going 0-40 up, but deuce was once again called upon. Another three came and went, and eventually Kawa came out on top in a mammoth game. These proved to be costly, as a much more clinical Kawa made it three games on the spin. From nowhere, she was now the one a break ahead.

Signs of frustration were clear from a normally calm and collected Rybakina. Kawa made it four games in a row, but it could have been five after six break points were squandered. It seemed like an opportunity missed as Rybakina got the match back on serve, but two games later Kawa had restored parity in an unbelievable turnaround.

The unforced errors count had grown for Rybakina, with her first serve percentage going from 89% to 61%, leaving the second serve vulnerable. She did start the third set in familiar fashion, taking a 2-0 lead with a break of serve. The question was which pattern would it follow.

She made it 3-0 as Kawa threatened to make a comeback with her first hold in the third set. A crucial hold moved Rybakina within two games from the victory. Another break of serve seemed to be definitive, and was. She served it out but knows that her level will need to improve against Diana Shnaider in the semi-finals.