Elena Rybakina is one win from qualifying for this year’s WTA Finals.
The 2022 Wimbledon champion defeated Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-3 at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, setting up a quarterfinal with Canada’s Victoria Mboko. If Rybakina can win she’ll pass Mirra Andreeva and move into eighth in the race to the WTA Finals, effectively ending the race.
Rybakina lost to Fernandez in DC earlier this year in three tiebreak sets, but she gained victory relatively comfortably against the 22nd-ranked Canadian in 88 minutes.
The opening set went with serve for seven games and it was Rybakina who emerged from a run of three consecutive breaks with the upper hand when she broke Fernandez in the tenth game to take it, 6-4.
In the second set Rybakina broke for 2-0 then saved a trio of break points to hold for 4-1. There would be no more trouble as the world No.7 held comfortably to serve out her 50th victory (50-19) of the season.
Rybakina converted three of four break points on the day, and saved four of five.
Seven players – Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys and Jasmine Paolini – have already qualified for the WTA Finals in Riyadh, which commence on November 1.
