Elena Rybakina immediately reacts after beating Jasmine Paolini to reach the Ningbo final and keep WTA Finals hope alive

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Elena Rybakina reached the final of the Ningbo Open after defeating Jasmine Paolini in straight sets.

Rybakina fired 10 aces and hit 32 winners past Paolini to claim her fifth top ten win of 2025, and 51st overall.

The Kazakh star had to win against the Italian to give herself a good chance of qualifying for the WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, set to take place in early November.

There are two spots still up for grabs in the year-end tournament, currently held by Mirra Andreeva with 4,320 points and Paolini with 4,325 points.

Rybakina has a total of 4,130 points and will have a chance to increase her tally in the final of the Ningbo Open, where she will look to claim her 10th career title.

Following her victory over Paolini, the former Wimbledon champion reacted to her important triumph and looked ahead to the championship match.

Elena Rybakina reacts to beating Jasmine Paolini in Ningbo

In her on-court interview, Rybakina said: “I knew the match was going to be very tough. Jasmine played really well this season, and she’s a really tough opponent.”

The two last met each other at the 2024 WTA Finals, where Paolini came out on top to give herself a 3-2 lead in their head-to-head.

After levelling things up in their rivalry, Rybakina said: “I knew that I would need to bring my best, and I’m happy that I stayed focused until the end and won in straight sets.

“It’s a really nice atmosphere. I enjoy it a lot. I’m very excited [for the final] and again, I will try to bring my best and let’s see what’s going to happen.”

The story of Elena Rybakina’s Asian swing so far

Following her fourth-round exit at the US Open, Rybakina has endured an up-and-down Asian swing, which she kicked off at the China Open.

In Beijing, Rybakina claimed just one victory against Caty McNally before falling to Eva Lys in her second match at the WTA 1000 tournament.

At the Wuhan Open, she advanced to the quarterfinals but was ultimately dominated by world number one Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets.

Now, in Ningbo, Rybakina has found form, having secured her third win in a row to book her place in the final.