Rybakina beats Shnaider to set up Ningbo final against Fernandez

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World number one Elena Rybakina will face Leylah Fernandez in the Ningbo Open final after both players won their semi-finals 6–3, 7–5 on Saturday, 24 October. Rybakina defeated Diana Shnaider to keep her title defence on course, while Fernandez overcame Marie Bouzkova. The final takes place on Sunday, 25 October.

Rybakina needed 11 set points to secure the opener against Shnaider and encountered another setback when she was broken to love while serving for the match. She responded by breaking again in the next game, then held serve to finish the contest in one hour and 35 minutes.

The result gives the Kazakh another opportunity to build momentum after a difficult spell in China. A defeat in Beijing was followed by a foot injury that forced her withdrawal from Wuhan. She has now reached another title match ahead of next month’s WTA Finals.

Fernandez arrives with a strong recent record of her own, having won 13 of her last 16 matches. The Canadian won the Singapore title last month and has reached her second final of the season, and the 10th of her career. Her three earlier matches in Ningbo all went to a deciding set.

Sunday will be the pair’s first meeting in a final. Rybakina leads their head-to-head 3–2 and has won their two most recent encounters, including a match during her successful Stuttgart campaign earlier this year.

The Ningbo final is Rybakina’s sixth of the season and the 28th of her career. Her three titles in 2026 came at the Australian Open, Stuttgart and the US Open. Fernandez, meanwhile, will try to add to a collection of six career titles, all won on hard courts.