Ekaterina Alexandrova has secured her spot in the final of the Ningbo Open, where she will take on Elena Rybakina.
Rybakina defeated Jasmine Paolini to reach the Ningbo Open final, while Alexandrova overcame Diana Shnaider.
In the battle between the two Russian players in China, five-time WTA Champion Alexandrova triumphed 6-3, 6-4.
Alexandrova rose to 10th in the WTA rankings just before the tournament, representing a career-high for the 30-year-old.
She now faces a reunion with world number nine Rybakina, which will be their fifth meeting on the WTA Tour.
Ekaterina Alexandrova gives her opinion on Elena Rybakina before their Ningbo Open final
Alexandrova boasts a 3-1 win-loss record with her upcoming opponent, who she mentioned after beating Shnaider when asked if she has expectations of the final.
“I mean, honestly, no,” Alexandrova said on court. “No expectation. I just know I will go on the court tomorrow, I will enjoy the atmosphere and the match.
“I will try to do my best because she’s a great player. She has a really tough serve, so it will be super difficult against her. But I will just enjoy my time here and I will try to do my best.”
Among their meetings was a final in Shenzhen in 2020, in which the Russian beat the Kazakhstan ace 6-2, 6-4 to lift the trophy.
Ekaterina Alexandrova gives her verdict on the Ningbo Open fans after reaching the final
Plenty is on the line in the Ningbo Open final, with Rybakina and Alexandrova currently ninth and 10th respectively in the Race to the WTA Finals.
For now, however, the latter is only focused on the final, having said of her semifinal win: “I’m really happy with the result and being here in the final.
“I think it was such a good match today, it was super difficult, so I’m really happy with the win and the way I played today. And with you guys, thank you so much for supporting us tonight, it means a lot. Thank you.”
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And giving her take on the fans, she said: “Well, thank you so much. It’s such a pleasure to play with the crowd like this.
“You are super supportive for all the players. And thank you for coming, you’re just great, thank you, see you tomorrow in the final here.”
Alexandrova claimed her only WTA title of the season so far at Linz, while Rybakina did the same at Strasbourg.
The former is currently seeking her sixth career title this week, with the latter aiming for a 10th career success.
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