Elena Rybakina rallied from a set down to beat Russian fourth seed Ekaterina Alexandrova 3-6 6-0 6-2 to win the WTA 500 2025 AUX Ningbo Open title on Sunday, keeping her late surge to reach next month’s WTA Finals very much alive and gaining momentum.
I would like to congratulate Ekaterina on a great week and a great season. It was not an easy year for all of us, a difficult schedule… thank you very much to my team for always pushing me to be better. The end of the season isn’t easy, but without you I wouldn’t be here. Hopefully we can go one step further this week [coming in Tokyo]. Elena Rybakina
“I would like to congratulate Ekaterina on a great week and a great season,” said Rybakina. “It has not been an easy year for all of us, a difficult schedule… thank you very much to my team for always pushing me to be better.
“The end of the season is not easy, but without you I wouldn’t be here. Hopefully we can push a little more this week [coming in Tokyo].”
A tenth career title for Rybakina means the Russian-born Kazakh just needs to reach the semi-finals of the WTA 500 Toray Pan Pacific Open Tennis in Tokyo next week to clinch the final qualifying spot for the season finale at the expense of Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva.
The 18-year-old surprisingly decided not to play any tournament next week, which directly benefited Jasmine Paolini, who took 7th place at the WTA Finals.
It also helped Rybakina keep her hopes alive of grabbing the last remaining 8th spot, if she can make it to the final 4 next week in Tokyo, to overtake Andreeva in the Race.
Paolini, meanwhile, has withdrawn from the WTA 500 next week, citing a schedule change as she has now qualified for the WTA Finals, to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from November 1 to 8, joining Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys in the Riyadh field.
Ekaterina Alexandrova stormed through the first set against Elena Rybakina, but then had the tables with her in Sunday’s Ningbo final
WTAtennis.com
Alexandrova made a flying start on Sunday, racing to a 4-1 lead as Rybakina struggled to contain her mistakes and mix up her play, allowing the 30-year-old Russian to comfortably take the first set with a powerful forehand winner.
Desperate to avoid a 4th consecutive defeat to Alexandrova on hard court, Rybakina came out firing in the second, hitting a crosscourt winner to consolidate an early break to eventually level the match, and delivering a bagel to boot.
The world number 9 turned up the intensity from the baseline in the decider, but it was a trip to the net that earned the 26-year-old another early break as she claimed her second trophy of the season.
Rybakina is almost unstoppable when she is in top form, something Alexandrova learned the hard way.
Rybakina won nine consecutive matches between the second and third sets to claim her milestone 10th career WTA title in just under 2 hours, her second of the season.
It was her third straight win in a WTA final, and it took her one step closer to qualifying for the year-end WTA finals in Riyadh.
She now heads to Tokyo, where she must reach at least the semifinals to overtake Andreeva for the final spot, otherwise she will enter as the first alternate.
Alexandrova struck early against Rybakina’s powerful serve, converting a break point in the second game of the final, but it was the only break point she generated in the first set.
Nevertheless, she held serve effectively, conceding just two break points herself and keeping both, to take the opener quite comfortably against the world number 9.
But before she could blink, Rybakina turned the match on its head, reeling off nine games in a row, bagging Alexandrova in the second set and jumping to a 3-0 lead in the decider.
It was a lead she never relinquished as the former Wimbledon champion, who entered the match with a 6-15 record after dropping the first set this season, broke Alexandrova one final time to seal an impressive comeback victory.
Although her return match on Sunday was almost as dominant, Rybakina’s serving set the tone as usual as she landed 61% of her first deliveries and won 88% of them, including a perfect 9-for-9 in the second set.
The Kazakh fired 11 aces, many of them at key moments, and prevented Alexandrova from generating just three break points throughout the match, two of which he saved.
Her final ace of the match came while trailing 0-30 while leading 4-2 in the third set, helping her recover and save the final break point she would face in the match later in the same match, before taking a commanding 5-2 lead.
In addition to her 2022 Wimbledon title, Rybakina owns a runner-up finish at the 2023 Australian Open and two WTA 1000 titles in Indian Wells and Rome.
Her path to the Ningbo title included Top 10 wins over Jasmine Paolini in the semifinals and Alexandrova in the final for her 25th and 26th career victories against Top 10 opponents.
With her latest victory, she climbs back to seventh in the world rankings, surpassing both Andreeva and Madison Keys in the rankings.
For Alexandrova, it was a frustrating third straight defeat in a WTA 500 final, all in the past three months, a stretch that has included defeats to the likes of Rybakina and Iga Swiatek.
Still, the 30-year-old’s form is the best of her career in recent memory, and another deep run this week in Ningbo has further cemented her status as a Top 10 player.
Before Alexandrova’s season comes to an end, she has one more chance to capture that elusive second WTA 500 title when she joins Rybakina in Tokyo for the upcoming Toray Pan Pacific Open.
Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Liudmila Samsonova claimed the Ningbo Open doubles title on Sunday with a narrow win over No. 4 seeds, Timea Babos and Luisa Stefani
WTAtennis.com / Discussions
American Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Liudmila Samsonova of Russia won the Ningbo Open doubles title on Sunday after a spirited and inspired run through the draw.
The pair survived a super tiebreaker in the opening round before upsetting Serbia’s Anna Danilina and Aleksandra, the No. 3 seeds from Kazakhstan, in the quarterfinals.
Their semi-final victory was even more impressive, with a victory over top performers and doubles icons, Hsieh Su-wei of Taipei and Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic.
In the final, Melichar-Martinez & Samsonova completed their run with a dramatic 5-7 6-4 [10-8] comeback victory over No. 4 seeds, Hungary’s Timea Babos and Brazil’s Luisa Stefani, in a match that lasted one hour and 53 minutes.
The title means redemption for Melichar-Martinez, who finished second at the Ningbo Open last year with Australian Ellen Perez.
It is the pair’s second title together in three finals, having also won the WTA 500 event in Seoul in 2024.
For Samsonova, it is her third career WTA doubles title and first of the season, extending her streak to three consecutive years with at least one doubles title, while she also has five singles titles to her name.
Melichar-Martinez now has 17 career WTA doubles titles, including two in 2025.
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