Rybakina confirms Ningbo entry as she defends her title

Elena Rybakina has confirmed she will return in October to the WTA 500 event in Ningbo, where she won the title a year ago. "I'm very happy to announce that I'll be back in Ningbo this year," the tournament's press office quoted her as saying. On 24 September the WTA published the entry list: besides Rybakina, the main draw includes four more Top 10 players - Jessica Pegula, Elina Svitolina, Iga Swiatek and Marta Kostyuk. The tournament runs from 19 to 25 October with a 28-player draw, and the top four seeds get byes into the second round. The champion earns 500 ranking points - exactly what Rybakina is defending from last year, when she beat Ekaterina Alexandrova in the final. Before Ningbo her schedule includes the China Open and the Wuhan Open, and she has already qualified for the WTA Finals.