Elena Rybakina defeated Jasmine Paolini in straight sets in the semi-finals of the 2025 Ningbo Open, and the result could be significant in the Race to the WTA Finals.
The world No 9 earned a convincing 6-3, 6-2 victory against eighth-ranked Paolini to progress to the final at the WTA 500 tournament in China.
Rybakina did not lose serve in the match, saving seven break points, while she broke her 29-year-old Italian opponent three times. The Russian-born Kazakh had lost her last two matches against Paolini and trailed the pair’s head-to-head 2-3 prior to this match.
“I knew the match would be very tough. Jasmine played really well this season. She’s a really tough opponent,” said the 26-year-old.
“I knew I’d need to bring my best. I’m happy I stayed focused ’til the end and I won it in straight sets.”
Six players have already qualified for the WTA Finals: Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys.
This leaves the final two spots in the Race to Riyadh — the yearly rankings which determine the eight qualifiers for the WTA Finals — up for grabs.
Rybakina started the week ninth in the Race, 218 points behind eighth-placed Paolini and 406 points behind seventh-place Mirra Andreeva.
The 2022 Wimbledon champion knew, therefore, that she needed to make a deep run in Ningbo to keep her hopes of qualifying for the season-ending championships alive.
Andreeva’s shock defeat to Zhu Lin in her opening match in Ningbo means she increased her tally by just a single point to 4,320.
By reaching the last four, Paolini increased her points total to 4,325, which has narrowly lifted her above Andreeva into the No 7 position in the Race.
More Tennis News
Jasmine Paolini interview – Jannik Sinner’s advice, defeating the giants and her best moment
Emma Raducanu: former world No 8 sparks backlash with ‘ridiculous’ take on Brit’s US Open win
There was, therefore, a lot on the line in the semi-final between Rybakina and Paolini, and the former’s victory has moved her onto 4,130 points.
Rybakina will face either Diana Shnaider or Ekaterina Alexandrova in the final, and if she wins, she will jump to 4,305 points.
“I’m very excited. I’ll try to bring my best. Let’s see what’s gonna happen,” Rybakina said of the final.
Winning the Ningbo Open would still leave Rybakina in ninth place, but she would be just 15 points behind Andreeva and 20 points below Paolini.
The Race is, then, set for a fascinating conclusion, with both Rybakina and Paolini having entered the WTA 500 tournament in Tokyo next week.
Andreeva’s hopes of qualifying for Riyadh now look in doubt as she has not entered a tournament next week.
Ahead of her semi-final win, Rybakina spoke about her chances of qualifying for the WTA Finals.
“I won’t say it’s pressure,” she said.
“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 (in Tokyo).
“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.”
READ NEXT: Coco Gauff’s ‘selective memory’ lauded as leading tennis voice reveals why she is an ‘enigma’
The post Why Elena Rybakina beating Jasmine Paolini in Ningbo could be crucial in WTA Finals Race appeared first on Tennis365.
Leave a Reply