Elena Rybakina, the world’s top-ranked female tennis player at 27 years old, is competing this week in the WTA 500 tournament in Ningbo, China. As she aims to finish the season on a high note, Rybakina shared her aspirations for the remainder of the year.
Since her victory at the US Open, Rybakina has not won a match, but she intends to return to her winning ways at Ningbo, where she is the top seed and the defending champion. “It’s wonderful to be back here in Ningbo. I have great memories of this tournament and hope to win it again,” she remarked, celebrating her status as the 30th world No. 1 in women’s tennis following her US Open win.
In her opening match of the tournament, Rybakina is set to face the winner of the match between Cristina Bucșa and Polina Kudermetova.
Elena Rybakina: “It has been a long season”
The Kazakh athlete also expressed her goal for the last month of the season, stating, “Right now, the most important thing for me is to finish the season ranked No. 1 in the world. I need to give my best in these final two weeks, as this season, while successful, has also been very long. I’m focusing on my health and managing my physical condition and fatigue from the matches to finish strong this season.”
This week, Rybakina leads Aryna Sabalenka by nearly 1,000 points in the rankings, with 7,503 points compared to Sabalenka’s 6,560. Sabalenka is not participating in the tournament in China. Rybakina has maintained her position as the world No. 1 for six weeks.
Double Stakes at the WTA Finals
The WTA Finals, which will be held at Indian Wells from November 8 to 15, will be the final competition for the two players this year. For a change in the ranking, Sabalenka would need an exceptional performance, while Rybakina would need a poor showing, as there are 1,500 points at stake.
Rybakina is the reigning champion of the WTA Finals. Since Serena Williams won back-to-back titles in 2013 and 2014, no player has won consecutive editions. Remarkably, the WTA Finals has seen a different champion every year since then.
This year’s event will feature Rybakina, Sabalenka, Mirra Andreeva, Linda Noskova, Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff, and Elina Svitolina, with one spot still available.
In 2023, Rybakina has participated in 17 tournaments, winning at the Australian Open, Stuttgart, and US Open, and has a match record of 49 wins out of 63 played. After the US Open, she only competed in Beijing, where she lost in the first round to Alina Charaeva.
