Elena Rybakina sailed through to the Ningbo Open semi-finals to keep her WTA Final qualification hopes alive, but the star has revealed one thing she’s more interested in than making the final eight.
Rybakina has suffered in 2025, but she still has an outside chance of nabbing a spot for the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia.
The World No. 9 will play her rival for the final position at the WTA Finals, Jasmine Paolini, in the Ningbo Open semi-finals.
Despite increasing pressure on qualification, Rybakina has revealed one thing she’s more concerned with before the end of the season.
Elena Rybakina shares her biggest concern amid WTA Final qualification
Rybakina dropped just two games against Ajla Tomljanović to continue her journey at the Chinese tournament.
The star was happy with her performance and pinpointed her serve as one of the strongest aspects of her game.
“Today a lot of things went my way. Also some lines which I caught. Overall happy I won in straight sets. Looking forward for tomorrow,” Rybakina said.
The star was asked about WTA Finals qualification, but she played down reports that she was feeling the pressure.
“I won’t say it’s pressure,” said the star. “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.”
Rybakina then revealed what she was more focused on rather than qualifying for the Saudi Arabia event in November.
“I just try to finish the season as best as possible. Most important is to stay healthy,” said the star. “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,” she concluded.
Rybakina vs Paolini will take place on October 18, with the order of play yet to be announced by the tournament.
Rybakina vs Paolini will be crucial for WTA Final qualification
It’s fitting that qualification for the tournament has been put in the hands of Rybakina and Paolini at the Ningbo Open.
The match will likely be a winner-takes-all affair, although Paolini will have more chances to secure her spot at number eighth if she loses.
Rybakina’s hopes of qualifying for the tournament will likely be done if she loses to Paolini as she is currently 320 points behind eight position.
Both women could qualify, with Mirra Andreeva dropping out of contention thanks to her worrying form on the Asian swing.
