Rybakina into Ningbo Final: Kazakh Defeats Paolini and Makes Strong Push in WTA Finals Race

The first semifinal of the Ningbo WTA 500 pitted two top 10 players against each other, namely Elena Rybakina and Jasmine Paolini.

The race for the WTA Finals intensified a bit more this Saturday with the first semifinal in Ningbo. Jasmine Paolini was just one win away from a second consecutive qualification for Riyadh, but she had to overcome Elena Rybakina.

The two players know each other well and have already faced off five times (3-2 for Paolini in head-to-head matches), and the Italian had actually won their only two previous meetings on hard court.

The Kazakh is gaining momentum in this tournament. After a laborious start against Dayana Yastremska, the world No. 9 then comfortably dominated Ajla Tomljanovic (6-2, 6-0) in the quarterfinals.

The first set was tight and took a while to be decided. Both women were comfortable on their service games, but it was the first break of the match after 45 minutes of play that then allowed Rybakina to win the first set a few minutes later.

Trailing 1-2 in the second set, Rybakina then accelerated for good and won the last five games. With 10 aces in the match, the 2022 Wimbledon champion wrapped up the match in two sets (6-3, 6-2 in 1 hour 28 minutes) and defeated her opponent of the day for the first time on this surface.

She also pulls off a great move in the race for WTA Finals qualification and will face Ekaterina Alexandrova or Diana Shnaider in an attempt to win the 10th title of her career.

"I knew the match would be difficult. Jasmine (Paolini) has played very well throughout the season. She is truly a formidable opponent. I knew I had to play my best tennis.

I'm happy I was able to win in two sets. I'm looking forward to playing the final, I'll just try to do my best," Rybakina stated on the court after her qualification at the expense of the Italian.