Rybakina Beats Shnaider to Reach Ningbo Final Again

Elena Rybakina converted her 11th set point in the first set to beat Diana Shnaider and secure a spot in the Ningbo Open final. The world number one defeated the sixth seed 6-3, 7-5 on Saturday at the Yinzhou International Tennis Centre. This result sets up a rematch for the title against Leylah Fernandez, who will play Rybakina for the second time in the final.

Rybakina faced a difficult path to the final. She lost heavily in Beijing and withdrew from Wuhan due to a foot injury before arriving in Ningbo. Against Shnaider, she showed flashes of her best tennis but struggled to close out key games. She took control of the first set with aggressive winners from deep in the court, though a dip in form forced her to fight for the final point.

"It was an important game, and it was a long one," Rybakina said after the match. "It was on my serve, and it was a struggle .. I was playing the first balls really well, but I couldn't close the game .. so many opportunities, but I'm glad it went my way." She noted that Shnaider played great shots and engaged in long rallies.

The second set followed a similar pattern. Rybakina continued to struggle with her first-serve accuracy but won key points to move ahead 4-3 with a break. She was broken to love in the 10th game but answered with big hitting to take the lead again in the next game. She then served with more assurance to close out the win. The 27-year-old three-time Grand Slam winner credited Shnaider's left-handed game for the difficulty.

"She played really well, and it's always difficult to play against left-handers," Rybakina said. "We don't have so many on the tour. I needed some time. The returns were not as bad, but during the rallies, to switch the pattern was a little bit of an issue for me, but I'm happy I managed to win in two sets." Fernandez, also left-handed, presents a similar challenge in the final.

Fernandez earned her place in Sunday's final by defeating Marie Bouzkova 6-3, 7-5 in the first semifinal. Rybakina will play on Sunday before traveling to Tokyo for the Pan Pacific Open next week. She will then begin her defense of the WTA Finals title at Indian Wells on November 8.

Rybakina remained measured about the prospect of winning back-to-back trophies at the Ningbo Open. "It's never easy," she said. "Of course I'll try to do my best. I'm going to fight and give my all tomorrow."