Rybakina sweeps Fernandez, bags Ningbo Open title

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Elena Rybakina saved her best for last after dominating Leylah Fernandez, 6-2, 6-2, to clinch the Ningbo Open WTA title on Oct. 25, 2026, at the Ningbo Yinzhou Tennis Center in China.

Coming off a straight-sets win over Diana Shnaider to advance to the championship match, the Kazakhstani ace picked up where she left off and delivered a dominant performance against Fernandez in just 76 minutes of action.

Rybakina was on another level with her clutch break-point performance, converting four of her five break-point opportunities to outplay Fernandez in both sets.

Tactical, powerful and quick with her adjustments, Rybakina immediately set the tone with sharp down-the-line winners backed by a consistent return game.

Due to Rybakina’s baseline prowess, Fernandez struggled to impose her trademark left-handed topspin shots, playing a more defensive game that limited her aggressive attacking style.

Fernandez had two early chances to break Rybakina’s serve in the opening set, but the Kazakhstani ace saved both break points before taking control of the match.

Rybakina then closed out the opening set with a flawless service game to love, moving one set away from capturing another WTA title with a 1-0 lead.

Things got interesting in the second set after Fernandez gambled by moving forward to the net, a rare sight during her Ningbo Open campaign.

Instead of staying near the baseline to prepare for groundstroke exchanges, Fernandez found some early success at the net, catching Rybakina off guard with two drop shots and a left-handed volley.

However, Rybakina broke Fernandez’s serve for a 2-1 lead, saved two more break points in the following game and secured another break for a 5-2 advantage before serving out the match to complete her straight-sets victory.

“I would like to thank my team, most of them back home watching and supporting,” Rybakina said after the win.

“Thank you so much guys and thank you to everyone who made this tournament possible. It’s amazing to play in front of you, gives me a lot of energy to keep on playing. This is such a special place for me.”