Elena Rybakina is one win away from qualifying for this year’s WTA Finals.
The 2022 Wimbledon champion beat Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-3 at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, setting up a quarter-final with Canada’s Victoria Mboko. If Rybakina can win, she will move past Mirra Andreeva and move into eighth place in the race for the WTA Finals, ending the race.
Rybakina lost to Fernandez in DC earlier this year in a three-set tiebreak, but she held on relatively well against the 22nd-ranked Canadian in 88 minutes.
The opening set went seven games on serve and it was Rybakina who came from a run of three straight 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 was to be no more trouble as the world number 7 held on comfortably to serve out her 50th win (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 start on November 1.
