Ningbo: world No. 1 Rybakina battles into semis – Fernandez reaches final
Defending champion Elena Rybakina dropped a set before beating Katarzyna Kawa in Ningbo and now faces Diana Shnaider. Leylah Fernandez is already through to the final.
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Elena Rybakina has reached the semi-finals of the WTA event in Ningbo, China. The world No. 1 from Kazakhstan beat Poland's Katarzyna Kawa 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 in 1 hour 45 minutes. According to the WTA, it was her first completed win as world No. 1, after her opening opponent Polina Kudermetova retired. In the second set Rybakina landed only 39 per cent of her first serves and made 21 unforced errors. "I actually started pretty well," said the defending champion.
In Saturday's semi-final Rybakina meets sixth seed Diana Shnaider, the world No. 13. Rybakina won both of their meetings this year, in Stuttgart and Cincinnati, in straight sets. Shnaider beat American Iva Jovic 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 in the quarter-finals.
The other finalist is already known: Canada's Leylah Fernandez, ranked 30th, beat Marie Bouzkova 6-3, 7-5, according to ESPN. In the quarter-finals she had beaten Ekaterina Alexandrova 4-6, 6-2, 6-1. Rybakina leads the world rankings on 9,196 points, well clear of Aryna Sabalenka (7,550).