By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, October 23, 2026
Photo credit: Porsche Tennis Grand Prix
Elena Rybakina hit a second-set speed bump, but sped through the finish line returning to the Ningbo Open final four.
World No. 1 Rybakina ripped eight aces dispatching Polish qualifier Katarzyna Kawa 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 to reach her second straight Ningbo semifinal.
Rybakina more than doubled Kawa’s winner output (29 to 14) scoring her WTA-best 51st victoy of the season.
It is Rybakina’s sixth straight win at the WTA 500 event and sends her into the semifinals against Diana Shnaider.
The sixth-seeded Shnaider sped through the final five games in a 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 win over American Iva Jovic.
Shnaider, who beat Aryna Sabalenka en route to the Roland Garros semifinals, reached her fourth semifinal of the season.
The left-handed Shnaider, who lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova in the 2025 Ningbo semifinals, is playing for her first final since she won the 2025 Monterrey title 14 months ago.
The 27-year-old Rybakina has swept all four sets she’s played against Shnaider, including scoring a 6-4, 6-4 win in the Cincinnati round of 16 last August.
Reigning Australian Open and US Open champion Rybakina is playing for her sixth final of the year.
The 2021 US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez rallied past 2025 Ningbo runner-up Alexandrova 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 into her second semifinal of the season.
It was Fernandez’s 12th victory in her last 15 matches.
Singapore champion Fernandez will face Marie Bouzkova with a trip to the final on the line.
In an all-Czech quarterfinal, Bouzkova beat Sara Bejlek 6-3, 6-4 for her third semifinal of the season. Wimbledon quarterfinalist Bouzkova is bidding to become the first Czech woman to reach the Ningbok final.
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