Ningbo, 25 October. World number one Elena Rybakina won the WTA 500 tournament in Ningbo, China, for the second year in a row, beating Canada's Leylah Fernandez in the final 6:2, 6:2.
Victory at the hard-court event in China allowed Rybakina to defend the 500 ranking points she earned here a year ago and keep her place at the top of the world rankings. The final lasted two sets, in each of which her opponent won only two games.
In Ningbo Rybakina had to defend exactly as many points as the tournament gives its winner, and she defended all of them.
What it means: The Kazakh player who leads the world rankings defended last year's title and the points without which her lead over her rivals would have narrowed.
Who benefits: Rybakina gets the title and keeps the number one ranking. Kazakh tennis gets another major trophy in a season in which the home Almaty Open ended for Bublik with an injury in the semi-final.
Background: The Ningbo tournament is in the WTA 500 category; the winner receives 500 ranking points. Rybakina also won it in 2025.
We have also reported that Rybakina reached the Ningbo final for the second year running.
