Rybakina Advances to Ningbo Open Final
Elena Rybakina, the former Wimbledon champion, broke a five-month drought without reaching a final, following a convincing victory over Jasmine Paolini at the Ningbo Open. Rybakina demonstrated her power by defeating Paolini with a score of 6-3, 6-2 in the semifinals of the tournament. During the match, Rybakina connected 10 aces, although she also had to defend seven break points in a match that lasted 89 minutes against the second seed.After failing to advance in the semifinals of the Citi Open, the Canadian Open, and the Cincinnati Masters in recent months, Rybakina will seek to add the Ningbo Open title to her record, joining the WTA 500 she won on clay in Strasbourg on May 24. This victory keeps Rybakina’s hopes of participating in the season-ending WTA Finals alive. In the final, Rybakina will face Ekaterina Alexandrova, who is in the top 10 for the first time in her career, 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 would have to give my best. I’m happy that I stayed focused until the end and won in straight sets.
Elena Rybakina
