Title No. 4 of the season: Rybakina cruises past Fernandez in straight sets at Ningbo Open final

Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina routs Canadian Leylah Fernandez 6-2, 6-2 to defend her title in the Ningbo Open final on October 25, 2026. — AFP pic

First Published: Sunday, 25 Oct 2026 7:29 PM MYT

NINGBO (China), Oct 25 — World number one Elena Rybakina won her fourth title of an outstanding season with a ruthless straight-sets victory over Leylah Fernandez in the Ningbo Open final on Sunday.

The top seed and defending champion cruised to a 6-2, 6-2 win over the world number 30 from Canada.

Rybakina, the Australian and US Open champion, collected her 15th WTA crown in all and went a long way towards securing the year-end number-one ranking.

Rybakina broke and then held her own serve with a delicious two-handed crosscourt backhand for a 4-2 lead in the opening set.

The Moscow-born Kazakh immediately put Fernandez under pressure again on the Canadian’s serve and it was soon 5-2 to the reigning champion when her opponent fired into the net.

The 27-year-old Rybakina, who missed this month’s Wuhan Open with a foot injury, began to turn the screw and sealed the set to love in under 40 minutes.

Fernandez, who was looking to win her second title in as many months, was broken once more as a clinical Rybakina grabbed a 2-1 second-set lead.

Rybakina saw off two break points in the fourth game to hold, and with that, Fernandez’s resistance was broken.

Rybakina was within sight of retaining her trophy after breaking once more for 5-2, then sealed the deal on her first championship point with a searing forehand. — AFP