Rybakina defeats Alexandrova to claim Ningbo title and boost WTA Finals hopes.

Elena Rybakina came from a set down to beat Russian fourth seed Ekaterina Alexandrova 3-6, 6-0, 6-2 and win the Ningbo Open title on Sunday, keeping her WTA Finals hopes alive.

The victory, her 10th career title, means the Kazakh needs only to reach the semifinals of this week’s Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo to secure the final spot at next month’s season-ending event, ahead of Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva.

Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Świątek, Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys and Jasmine Paolini have already qualified for the Finals, which will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from November 1–8.

Alexandrova started strongly, breaking twice to take the first set 6-3 as Rybakina struggled with errors. But the world No. 9 responded emphatically, sweeping the second set 6-0 and seizing control with an early break in the decider.

Rybakina closed out the match with composed baseline play and smart net approaches to claim her second title of the season — and move one step closer to the year-end championship.