# Rybakina beats Fernandez 6-2, 6-2 to keep Ningbo Open title, her first as world No 1

Source: Searchable (https://searchable.pk/news/sports/ningbo-open-final-world-no-1-rybakina-vs-leylah-fernandez-after-straight-sets)
Type: News article
Author: Searchable Editorial
Published: 24 Oct 2026
Updated: 25 Oct 2026
Retrieved: 25 Oct 2026

> The Kazakh saved all four break points she faced for her fourth title of 2026 and 15th of her career. Tokyo is next, then the season finale from 8 November.

**Updated Sunday 25 October 2026, 6:55pm PKT: Elena Rybakina won the Ningbo Open final, beating Leylah Fernandez 6-2, 6-2** to defend her title in China, [Sky Sports reported](https://www.skysports.com/tennis/news/13603514/elena-rybakina-beats-leylah-fernandez-in-straight-sets-to-defend-ningbo-open-title). It is her first trophy since she became world No 1 after the US Open in September.

## The final in numbers

- **Score:** Rybakina bt Fernandez 6-2, 6-2.
- **Break points:** Rybakina faced four and saved all of them, and closed the match with a forehand winner on her first match point.
- **Ningbo record:** she is now 8-0 in her career at the event, having beaten Ekaterina Alexandrova in last year's final.
- **Titles:** her fourth of 2026, the most on the WTA Tour this year (after the Australian Open, Stuttgart and the US Open), and the 15th of her career.

## Why it matters

The title came after a rough Asian swing. Rybakina lost her opening match at the China Open to Alina Charaeva, ranked 118th, and missed Wuhan with a foot injury, so a week without dropping a set in Ningbo settles questions about her fitness. Fernandez, ranked 30th and a US Open finalist in 2021, was chasing her second title in two months after winning in Singapore.

## What comes next

Rybakina plays the **Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo** this week. Her defence of the season-ending title starts on **8 November in Indian Wells**, Sky Sports reported. Indian Wells is 12 hours behind Pakistan, so an evening session there finishes in the morning PKT.

## Earlier: the semi-finals, Saturday 24 October

Both finalists won 6-3, 7-5, [ARY News reported](https://arynews.tv/top-ranked-rybakina-to-face-fernandez-for-ningbo-title) from Reuters:

- **Elena Rybakina bt Diana Shnaider 6-3, 7-5.** Shnaider is ranked 13th.
- **Leylah Fernandez bt Marie Bouzkova 6-3, 7-5.** Bouzkova is ranked 26th.

More tennis, cricket and football results are in our [sports section](/news/sports).

## Frequently asked questions

**Who won the Ningbo Open 2026?**

Elena Rybakina won, beating Leylah Fernandez 6-2, 6-2 in the final on Sunday 25 October 2026.

**How many titles has Rybakina won in 2026?**

Four: the Australian Open, Stuttgart, the US Open and Ningbo, the most on the WTA Tour this year.

## Sources

- Elena Rybakina beats Leylah Fernandez in straight sets to defend Ningbo Open title (25 Oct 2026) (Sky Sports): https://www.skysports.com/tennis/news/13603514/elena-rybakina-beats-leylah-fernandez-in-straight-sets-to-defend-ningbo-open-title
- Rybakina defends Ningbo Open title for first trophy since earning No. 1 ranking (25 Oct 2026) (ESPN): https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/50275602/elena-rybakina-beats-fernandez-defend-ningbo-open-title
- Top-ranked Rybakina to face Fernandez for Ningbo title (ARY News (Reuters)): https://arynews.tv/top-ranked-rybakina-to-face-fernandez-for-ningbo-title

How to cite: "Rybakina beats Fernandez 6-2, 6-2 to keep Ningbo Open title, her first as world No 1", Searchable, 25 Oct 2026, https://searchable.pk/news/sports/ningbo-open-final-world-no-1-rybakina-vs-leylah-fernandez-after-straight-sets