Rybakina readies for title defence at Ningbo Open in final with Fernandez

What the report says

Elena Rybakina moved a step closer to defending her Ningbo Open title by beating Russian sixth seed Diana Shnaider 6-3, 7-5 in the semifinal on Friday at the Yinzhou International Tennis Centre in Ningbo, China, according to Al Jazeera’s reporting based on Reuters. The victory sent the world number one into Sunday’s final and served as another sign of form heading into the late-season WTA events.

Rybakina, who has been managing the effects of a foot injury and recent losses in Beijing and Wuhan, started strongly with aggressive baseline play but had periods of uneven serving and rally play. Even so, she held off Shnaider in two sets and said afterward that the match had been difficult, especially against a left-handed opponent. Al Jazeera reported that she described the win as important and noted she was pleased to finish in straight sets.

In the other semifinal, unseeded Canadian Leylah Fernandez defeated Czech player Marie Bouzkova by the same 6-3, 7-5 score to set up the title match. The final matters not only for the Ningbo trophy but also as a tune-up for Rybakina before upcoming tournaments in Tokyo and the WTA Finals, where she is a defending champion in the season-ending field.