Result: title defended
| Round | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Second round | Polina Kudermetova | 5-0, retired |
| Quarterfinal | Katarzyna Kawa | 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 |
| Semifinal | Diana Shnaider (6) | 6-3, 7-5 |
| Final | Leylah Fernandez | 6-2, 6-2 |
The top seed had a first-round bye and went through the event unbeaten. The final against Leylah Fernandez lasted 1 hour 16 minutes: according to the WTA, Rybakina never lost her serve and saved all four break points. It is the first successful title defence of her career, her fourth trophy of the season - more than any other player in 2026 - and the 15th of her career. The win restored all 500 points that came off for last year's title and brought $185,500 in prize money. Rybakina is now eight wins from eight matches in Ningbo.
About the tournament
The Ningbo Open is a WTA 500 event in Ningbo, a port city in Zhejiang province in eastern China. In 2026 it runs from 19 to 25 October, a week after Wuhan. The draw is compact - 28 players - the surface is hard, and matches are played at the Ningbo Tennis Center. The champion earns 500 ranking points.
The small draw makes the event intense from the first day: the seeds come into play almost at once, and the title takes four or five wins in a row - about as many as at a WTA 1000, but with no room for a slow start.
How Rybakina won Ningbo in 2025
| Opponent | Status |
|---|---|
| Dayana Yastremska | opening match |
| Ajla Tomljanović | qualifier |
| Jasmine Paolini | second seed |
| Ekaterina Alexandrova | fourth seed, final |
The road to the title went through two seeds, Jasmine Paolini and Ekaterina Alexandrova. It was Rybakina's second title of 2025, and she followed it by winning the WTA Finals. Her whole autumn of 2025 formed a single line: the title in Ningbo, then five wins out of five in Riyadh.
What is at stake
In Ningbo Rybakina defends 500 points: last year's win drops out of her total after 52 weeks. To keep all of them she has to win the tournament again; losing before the final means giving up part of those points even if her ranking rivals do not play here at all.
On her calendar Ningbo is the last stop before the WTA Finals, where an even bigger block of points is at stake. That makes health as important as the result: after two WTA 1000 events in a row the schedule is tight. The full list of her titles with final opponents is in the titles section.
Match times
Ningbo is on UTC+8: three hours ahead of Astana. British Summer Time ends on 25 October - the day of the final - so the gap to London is seven hours for most of the week and eight on finals day. A 7:00 p.m. local start is 4:00 p.m. in Astana.
| Ningbo | Astana | London (to 24 Oct) |
|---|---|---|
| 12:00 | 09:00 | 05:00 |
| 15:00 | 12:00 | 08:00 |
| 19:00 | 16:00 | 12:00 |
The rest of the season
Ningbo closes the Chinese part of the autumn; after it comes the WTA Finals at Indian Wells.
| Tournament | Category | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billie Jean King Cup - Finals Entry confirmed Shenzhen, China | Team event (BJK Cup) hard | September 22–27 | Kazakhstan reached the Finals by beating Canada 3-1 in qualifying, but on 23 September, without Elena Rybakina, they lost to Spain 1-2 in the quarterfinals. Rybakina did not travel to Shenzhen: on 18 September she announced her withdrawal with a left ankle injury. Kazakhstan were represented by Yulia Putintseva, Anna Danilina, Zhibek Kulambayeva and Sonja Zhiyenbayeva; Putintseva won the only point. |
| Wuhan Open Wuhan, China | WTA 1000 hard | October 12–18 | On 4 October Rybakina withdrew from the tournament with injury, a day after her second-round loss at the China Open. In 2025 she reached the quarterfinals in Wuhan. The WTA 1000 event will go ahead without her; her next scheduled event is Ningbo. |
| WTA Finals Defending title Indian Wells, United States | WTA Finals hard | November 8–15 | The season-ending event for the top eight has moved from Riyadh to Indian Wells. Rybakina is the defending champion: she beat Aryna Sabalenka 6–3, 7–6(0) in the 2025 final. Her place among the eight for 2026 was already secured with the ranking update on 14 September. |
Asian swing dates follow the standard WTA calendar and are confirmed by organisers. Top players enter shortly before each event - the status column is updated as official announcements appear.
Where to watch and how not to miss it
Legal broadcasters are listed on the where to watch page. In the calendar subscription Rybakina's match appears by itself as soon as the organisers publish the order of play.
Do not miss the match
The next match has not been scheduled yet. Subscribe to the calendar and it will appear there as soon as the organisers publish the order of play.
Frequently asked questions
Has Rybakina won the Ningbo Open?
Yes, twice: in 2025 she beat Ekaterina Alexandrova in the final, and in 2026 Leylah Fernandez (6-2, 6-2).
When is the 2026 Ningbo Open?
From 19 to 25 October 2026.
How many points does Rybakina defend in Ningbo?
500 - the number of points a WTA 500 title is worth.
What time are Ningbo matches in Astana?
Ningbo is three hours ahead of Astana: a 7:00 p.m. local start is 4:00 p.m. in Astana.