When Elena Rybakina won the Ningbo Open in 2025, it was the Kazakh’s tenth career title, but her record at Tour-level finals was still a negative at 10-11. The World No. 1 was considered to be one of the most formidable players on the Tour, but she had the poor habit of faltering in title clashes. However, cut to the 2026 Ningbo Open, and the newly crowned World No. 1 was reflective about her turn of fortunes in big matches.
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“I remember I was getting very upset, always losing in the finals and now it’s going my way,” said Rybakina to the press after winning the title. “Of course, I cannot expect it all the time. The final is the final and there is an opponent who wants to win as much as you. I hope I can continue this way all the way till my career finishes. For now, it’s working and I’m really glad that it is going my way.”
The final at the Ningbo Open was the 28th Tour-level title clash that Rybakina was involved in. If one were to look at the first fourteen finals for the Kazakh, she had a 5-9 record in title matches, which indicated that the three-time Major champion did have some issues while playing for the titles. But no one could argue about her talent because the five titles she did win in the first half included one Grand Slam and two WTA 1000 titles.
The change in fortunes came in 2024, especially at the Stuttgart Grand Prix, where she beat Marta Kostyuk in the final to win her eighth career title. The nine finals the Kazakh has played since then have yielded seven wins for her, including last year’s WTA Finals and the two Grand Slam titles she won this year. She has reached six finals in 2026 itself, four of which she has won.
Winning the Ningbo Open is a full-circle moment for Rybakina, as this was the title that started her late push in the 2025 season. Playing the event for the first time last year, she beat Ekaterina Alexandrova in the final and then had a semifinal run at the Pan Pacific Open to book her spot at the WTA Finals. She had one of the most impressive wins in Riyadh, winning the year-ending championships without dropping a single match against a field that included the season’s eight best players, ending the season with an eleven-match win streak.
Defending the title in Ningbo, Rybakina did not forget to mention last year and how the place has been special for her.
“Very happy and definitely for me, Ningbo is already a special place,” Rybakina said. “Last year, I started to play really well from this tournament and all the way, so hopefully it’s going to give me more motivation and more good energy to continue this season and start the next one.”
Rybakina is not the only one who has struggled with finals in her career. Her closest rival, Aryna Sabalenka, would know a thing or two about losing finals, having lost five of her nine Grand Slam finals, including two against the Kazakh this year itself. Sabalenka has a 24-21 record in Tour-level finals, including 11-10 over the last three seasons, with the Belarusian power game cracking under pressure in high-stakes situations.
As for Rybakina, the Kazakh is in no mood to relax as she will head to Tokyo to keep her momentum going ahead of the WTA Finals.
Elena Rybakina Set for Tokyo Before Heading to Indian Wells
Having won the title in Ningbo, Rybakina is headed to the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, where the Kazakh is the top seed. The draw has given her a bye in the first round, with either Yulia Putintseva or Maria Sakkari slated to be her opponent in the opening match at the event.
Rybakina played in Tokyo last year as well, withdrawing from the event before her semifinal match against Linda Noskova after having already secured her spot in the WTA Finals. However, back then she needed the extra rest as she was pushing extra for the Finals spot. This time around, the World No. 1 will likely play the whole event, given that she had skipped the Wuhan Open earlier this month due to a leg injury.
Getting another title before the WTA Finals will put Rybakina in a good place heading into Indian Wells this year, as she will have a lot of points to defend from her unbeaten run last year in Riyadh. The Finals being at Indian Wells suits Rybakina, as the Kazakh has a 16-4 record at the WTA 1000 event, winning it in 2023 and finishing second to Sabalenka in 2026.