Kazakh tennis player Elena Rybakina, former Wimbledon champion, has managed to break a five-month drought by reaching a new final. Her performance at the Ningbo Open was outstanding, securing the victory over Jasmine Paolini with a score of 6-3, 6-2. Rybakina demonstrated her power on the court, accumulating 10 aces in a match that lasted 89 minutes. Despite the pressure, she managed to save seven break points against Paolini, who was the second seed in the tournament.
After being on the verge of the final at the Citi Open, the Canadian Open, and the Cincinnati Masters, Rybakina is now looking to add the title of the Ningbo Open to her list of achievements, thus adding another success to the one obtained at the WTA 500 in Strasbourg, achieved on May 24th. This victory keeps Rybakina’s aspirations of participating in the WTA Finals at the end of the season alive. For her part, Paolini missed the opportunity to secure her place in the Turin tournament after the defeat. In the final, Rybakina will face Ekaterina Alexandrova, who is in the top 10 of the world ranking for the first time. Alexandrova secured her place in the final after defeating Diana Shnaider with a score of 6-3, 6-4.I knew the match would be very difficult. Jasmine has played really well this season. She’s a very tough opponent, and I knew I’d have to give my best. I’m happy that I stayed focused until the end and won in straight sets.
Elena Rybakina
