Elena Rybakina advanced to the semifinals of the WTA 500 tournament in Ningbo after a tough win over Polish qualifier Katarzyna Kawa 6:1, 3:6, 6:1. The match lasted 1 hour and 45 minutes, and the world ranking leader continues to defend her title from last year.
Kawa, ranked 128th in the rankings, started the match unconvincingly and lost the first set in 31 minutes. In the second half, however, the Pole took advantage of Rybakina's hesitation, breaking her serve three times and leveling the score. In the deciding set, the Kazakh took the initiative again and ended the match with a convincing 6:1.
„It was a tough match. "In the first set, my serve was working well, but in the second set, I lowered my level. She didn't put enough energy into her serve, made mistakes and too many double faults. She also played excellently at that moment," Rybakina said after the match.
For a place in the final, Rybakina will play against sixth seed Diana Schneider. The Russian defeated American Eva Jovic 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 to reach the last four again in Ningbo. Schneider was a finalist in the 2023 tournament.
Rybakina is the defending champion, having won the final in Ningbo in 2025 against Ekaterina Alexandrova. The current edition is held on hard courts from October 19 to 25, with the semifinals scheduled for October 24.
The other semifinal will feature Canadian Leila Fernandez and Czech Marie Bouzkova. Fernandez eliminated Ekaterina Alexandrova 4:6, 6:2, 6:1, and Bouzkova defeated her compatriot Sara Beilek 6:3, 6:4.