Elena Rybakina is set to compete at the Ningbo Open, in what will be one of her last tournaments in a very successful season.
The Kazakh star has captured two Grand Slam titles this year, emerging victorious at the Australian Open and the US Open. Rybakina’s success saw her leapfrog Aryna Sabalenka in the WTA rankings to become the world number one for the first time in her career.
Rybakina’s Asian swing got off to a disappointing start with an opening-round exit at the China Open before withdrawing from the Wuhan Open, but now she is looking to finish her 2026 campaign strong.
Elena Rybakina speaks ahead of the 2026 Ningbo Open
Rybakina won the Ningbo Open on her tournament debut last season, coming back from a set down in the final against Ekaterina Alexandrova to clinch the title. Ahead of her title defence, the 27-year-old shared her goal for the rest of the year.
“First of all, it’s very nice to be back [at the Ningbo Open],” said Rybakina in her pre-tournament press conference. “I have amazing memories, and hopefully I can win it once more; we’ll see.
“Right now I feel it’s important to try to finish as number one and push for a couple more weeks, because I feel like the season has been successful but also long. So now I’m focusing on my health, trying to manage the fitness, matches and everything to be able to finish strong.”
After the Ningbo Open, Rybakina will set her sights on the WTA Finals in Indian Wells, where she is the defending champion. The world number one is bidding to become the first player to win consecutive WTA Finals titles since Serena Williams in 2014.
As well as Rybakina, Sabalenka, Mirra Andreeva, Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff, Elina Svitolina and Linda Noskova are all qualified for the prestigious year-end tournament. Karolina Muchova currently occupies the eighth and final spot for qualification, but Iga Swiatek and Marta Kostyuk are chasing it.
Elena Rybakina’s draw at the 2026 Ningbo Open
In her first match of the 2026 Ningbo Open, Rybakina will take on either wildcard Cristina Busca or Polina Kudermetova. By seeding, she is projected to face Belinda Bencic in the quarterfinals, but could also come up against Jelena Ostapenko or Wuhan Open champion Maja Chwalinska.
The Ningbo Open draw is stacked, and potential semifinal opponents for Rybakina come in the form of Iva Jovic, Alex Eala, Jasmine Paolini and Diana Shnaider. Seeded second on the opposite side of the draw is Iga Swiatek, who is motivated to go far in Ningbo as she continues her pursuit of WTA Finals qualification.
Swiatek has 4,189 live points to her name in the race to the WTA Finals, and needs to catch Muchova’s total of 4,735. Muchova will not be in action at the Ningbo Open.