Rybakina Survives Shnaider to Reach Ningbo Open Final
World number one Elena Rybakina beat Diana Shnaider 6-3, 7-5 to face Leylah Fernandez in Sunday's final.
By Kavya Robinson ·
Defending champion Elena Rybakina advanced to the final of the Ningbo Open by defeating sixth seed Diana Shnaider 6-3, 7-5. The victory secures a spot for the world number one in Sunday's championship match, giving her an opportunity to claim the title in consecutive years.
Rybakina, who also holds the Australian and US Open titles, reached this stage after a rough recent run. She suffered a heavy loss in Beijing and subsequently withdrew from the Wuhan tournament due to a foot injury. In the semifinal against the 13th-ranked Shnaider, the 27-year-old displayed moments of high-level play despite visible struggles with consistency.
The first set began with aggressive baseline hitting from Rybakina, who produced powerful winners from deep in the court. However, a dip in form required her to fight to close it out. She eventually took the set on her 11th set point. Rybakina acknowledged the difficulty of that moment, noting that she played the initial shots well but failed to convert multiple opportunities before finally succeeding.
The second set mirrored the first in its pattern. Rybakina continued to struggle with first-serve accuracy but managed to win critical points to take a 4-3 lead with a break. Shnaider, whose left-handed style created specific challenges for the right-handed champion, broke back to love in the 10th game. Rybakina responded with large hitting to regain the advantage and then served with greater confidence to close the match.
Her opponent in Sunday's final will be unseeded Canadian Leylah Fernandez. Fernandez earned her place by defeating Czech player Marie Bouzkova 6-3, 7-5 in the first semifinal at the Yinzhou International Tennis Centre. Like Shnaider, Fernandez is left-handed, presenting a similar tactical test for the defending champion.
Rybakina plans to use the final to sharpen her game before traveling to Tokyo for the Pan Pacific Open next week. She will then head to Indian Wells to begin defending her WTA Finals title on November 8. Regarding the prospect of back-to-back wins at Ningbo, the Belarusian remained cautious about the difficulty of the task ahead.
"It's never easy," Rybakina said. "Of course I'll try to do my best. I'm going to fight and give my all tomorrow."
Source: Al Jazeera
