Elena Rybakina wins Ningbo Open, beating Leylah Fernandez 6-2, 6-2 to defend her title

The final

Elena Rybakina won the Ningbo Open, a WTA 500 event in Ningbo, China, beating Canada's Leylah Fernandez 6-2, 6-2 in the final on Sunday, 25 October. Rybakina, 27, was defending the title she won last season. Reports give the length of the match as one hour and 16 minutes or one hour and 17 minutes. The result gave Rybakina her fourth title of 2026.

How the match unfolded

Rybakina broke Fernandez's serve twice in each set. In the first set she broke in the fifth and seventh games, and in the second set in the third and seventh games. Fernandez did not break Rybakina's serve at any point in the match. Rybakina won 67% of her first-serve points and saved all four break points she faced. Fernandez, ranked 30th in the WTA rankings and a left-hander, tried to play more aggressively but could not keep pace with the top seed.

Ranking and season

Rybakina is the world number one and has led the rankings since 14 September, so this was her first tournament win as the ranking leader. Her 2026 titles include the Australian Open, the US Open, both described as Grand Slam wins, and the tournament in Stuttgart, Germany. The Ningbo title is her 15th career title. Total prize money at the event was $1,206,446.