Elena Rybakina is in pursuit of more than just the title at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.
With Rybakina’s second-round victory over Leylah Fernandez, she is through to the quarterfinals of the WTA 500 event and is one step closer to qualifying for the WTA Finals.
Of the eight spots available in the year-end tournament, held in Saudi Arabia, seven stars have already qualified, with Jasmine Paolini becoming the latest to punch her ticket to Riyadh.
The eighth and final place in the WTA Finals will go to either Rybakina or world number nine Mirra Andreeva.
Andreeva’s defeat in her opening match at the Ningo Open meant that the Kazakh star needs just one more win to book her spot.
That win may prove difficult to collect, however, with Rybakina set to face a dangerous opponent in the last eight of the Pan Pacific Open.
Elena Rybakina’s potential WTA Finals roadblock in Tokyo
In the quarterfinals, Rybakina will come up against 19-year-old Victoria Mboko, who has seen a return to form in Tokyo.
Mboko announced herself to the tennis world at the Canadian Open in August, where she overcame the likes of Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka to clinch a maiden tour-level title at the WTA 1000 competition.
Since then, however, the Canadian has found victories hard to come by, having been on a four-match losing streak.
- US Open: Lost to Barbora Krejcikova in her opening match
- China Open: Lost to Anastasia Potapova in her opening match
- Wuhan Open: Lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova in her opening match
- Ningbo Open: Lost to Dayana Yastremska in her opening match
At the Pan Pacific Open, Mboko finally snapped the winless run and has picked up two straight-set triumphs over Bianca Andreescu and Eva Lys.
Now, the teenager will look to make it three in a row against Rybakina, whom she defeated en route to the title in Montreal.
In the semifinals of the Canadian Open, Rybakina drew first blood against Mboko with a strong start, but the eventual champion fought back to win 1-6, 7-5, 7-6.
Her victory also levelled their head-to-head, just weeks after losing their maiden WTA Tour meeting at the Washington Open.
With both the Pan Pacific Open title and the WTA Finals in sight, Rybakina will have to be at her very best against the world number 22 this time around.
The winner of their third career clash will face either Anna Kalinskaya or China Open runner-up Linda Noskova in the semifinals.
Every WTA star qualified for the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia
The WTA Finals is shaping up to be a star-studded tournament, with multiple big names set to feature in Saudi Arabia.
Multiple-time Grand Slam champions Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek and Gauff make up the top three spots, with US Open finalist Amanda Anisimova joining them in fourth.
| Rank | Player | Points |
| 1 | Aryna Sabalenka (Q) | 9,990 |
| 2 | Iga Swiatek (Q) | 8,303 |
| 3 | Coco Gauff (Q) | 6,573 |
| 4 | Amanda Anisimova (Q) | 5,897 |
| 5 | Jessica Pegula (Q) | 5,183 |
| 6 | Madison Keys (Q) | 4,395 |
| 7 | Jasmine Paolini (Q) | 4,325 |
| 8 | Mirra Andreeva | 4,319 |
| 9 | Elena Rybakina | 4,305 |
Also qualified are American compatriots Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys, as well as Paolini.
The WTA Finals will begin on Saturday the 1st of November, and finish on the 8th.
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