Elena Rybakina moved within two wins of retaining the Ningbo title on Friday night, recovering from a second-set slide to defeat Katarzyna Kawa 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 in the quarterfinals. The world No. 1 needed 1 hour and 45 minutes to secure her first completed-match victory since taking over the top ranking, after her opening opponent Polina Kudermetova retired.
Rybakina restores control in deciding set
- Rybakina made a fast start, breaking clear for a 3-0 advantage in the opening set and conceding only two service points across the set.
- Kawa changed the contest in the second set as Rybakina’s first-serve percentage fell and errors accumulated. The Pole levelled the match at one set apiece.
- The top seed again surged 3-0 ahead in the decider. Kawa held to get on the scoreboard at 3-1, but Rybakina claimed the next three games without reply to close out the quarterfinal.
“I began well and my serve was working,” Rybakina said on court. “In the second set, the energy on the serve dropped and I made some errors. She also produced some very good points, so the momentum shifted quickly. I was pleased that I remained aggressive in the third set and continued to play my tennis.”
Serve and short-ball authority decide the quarterfinal
Rybakina’s serve was central to each swing in the match. She put 83% of first serves in play in the first set and won 13 of 15 first-serve points, or 87%. Her delivery faltered in the second set, when she landed just 13 of 33 first serves and won only five of 20 points behind her second delivery. Five of her six double faults came during that set.
The three-time Grand Slam champion rediscovered her efficiency in the deciding set, winning 13 of 15 points when her first serve landed.
The error count told a similarly sharp story. Rybakina struck 14 winners and made four unforced errors in the opening set, before posting nine winners against 21 unforced mistakes as Kawa took the second. In the final set, she cut the error total to two while hitting six winners.
Kawa had also neutralised Rybakina in the shorter exchanges during the middle set. They split rallies of four shots or fewer at 23 apiece, while Kawa held a narrow advantage in points lasting five to eight strokes. Rybakina reversed that pattern in the decider, taking 20 of 26 rallies of four shots or fewer. Twenty-six of the set’s 34 rallies stayed within that short-rally range.
Shnaider awaits in the semifinals
Rybakina will face sixth seed Diana Shnaider in the Ningbo semifinals, her second consecutive appearance in the final four at the tournament.
The world No. 1 owns a 2-0 WTA Tour head-to-head record against Shnaider. Both of their meetings this year, in Stuttgart and Cincinnati, ended in straight-set victories for Rybakina.
