Elena Rybakina Reveals What is More Important to her than Qualifying for the WTA Finals
Elena Rybakina will face Ekaterina Alexandrova in the final of the Ningbo Open.
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Elena Rybakina (Image via X/#AusOpen)
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Elena Rybakina reached the final of the Ningbo Open after beating Jasmine Paolini in the semi-finals. The win kept her WTA Finals qualification hopes alive as she pushes to get a slot in the season-ending tournament. But the former Wimbledon champion has revealed that one thing is more important than making the final eight.
Rybakina began the season poorly, with a difficult coaching situation that saw Goran Ivanisevic leave just weeks after their partnership. The Kazakhstani reunited with Croatian coach Stefano Vukov, who was later suspended by the WTA. The former World No.3 made headlines due to the kind of relationship she had with Vukov.
Despite denying any close relationship with the Croatian coach, he was suspended, and that made her hire Italian coach Davide Sanguinetti. However, Vukov appealed his suspension and it was cancelled, which made him return to become her main coach and led to her parting ways with Sanguinetti after a few months together.
Nonetheless, amid all the drama surrounding her coaching, Rybakina managed to win the Strasbourg Open in May. She had good runs during the North American hard-court swing, reaching the semi-finals of the Canadian and Cincinnati Open. That helped her get back into the top 10. At the ATP 250 tournament in Ningbo, she’s seeking to win her second title of the season.
After just dropping two games against Ajla Tomljanovic in the quarter-finals of the Ningbo Open, she was asked if her major goal for the remainder of the year was making it to the WTA Finals. The Kazakhstan star revealed that the most important goal of the remainder of the season is to stay healthy as long as the season continues:
I won’t say it’s pressure. Of course it would be nice to qualify. But I know for this I still need to win a lot of matches. Not only here, but also next week. I just try to finish the season as best as possible. Most important is to stay healthy. The season has been very long. Not that successful for me. But I still think it’s been pretty decent. Just important to stay healthy and be ready for the next one. t
Rybakina didn’t play in any Asian swing tournament last year, which means she doesn’t have any points to defend, giving her an advantage over the likes of Paolini and Mirra Andreeva, who are chasing a spot in the WTA Finals. She had a good run at the Wuhan Open, reaching the quarter-finals before losing to three-time champion Aryna Sabalenka.
Elena Rybakina beats Jasmine Paolini to reach her second final of the season in Ningbo
Elena Rybakina powered past Jasmine Paolini 6-3, 6-2 to secure her place in the final of the Ningbo Open. The 2022 Wimbledon champion broke the Italian twice to lead 5-3 in the first set before comfortably sealing it. The pair were locked 2-2 in the second set, before Rybakina raised the level of her game winning four consecutive games, ending the match in an hour and 29 minutes.
Rybakina fired 10 aces and 30 winners in the match. During her on-court interview, she was asked about her performance. The 26-year-old revealed that she needed to bring out her best on the court because she knows the kind of player that Paolini is:
I knew the match would be very tough. Jasmine played really well this season. She’s a really tough opponent. I knew I’d need to bring my best. I’m happy I stayed focused until the end and I won it in straight sets. I’m very excited. I’ll try to bring my best (in the final). Let’s see what’s going to happen.
Rybakina will now face Ekaterina Alexandrova in the final on Sunday (October 9). The Russian star defeated her fellow compatriot Diana Shnaider 6-3, 6-4 in the semi-finals. Alexandrova leads Rybakina 3-1 in their head-to-head record, but their last meeting was at the Adelaide International in 2024, which the Russian won in straight sets.
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