Elena Rybakina Secures WTA Finals Berth With Deep Run At Tokyo Open

Elena Rybakina secured the eighth and last spot in the WTA Finals, which is slated to be held next month, with her triumph over Victoria Mboko on Friday to reach the Pan Pacific semi-finals in Tokyo.

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Kazakh will appear at the WTA Finals for a third straight year following her 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) win over Mboko, which helped her reach the final-four of the event in the Japanese Capital City.

Rybakina was in a direct competition for the last WTA Finals spot with Russia’s Mirra Andreeva. She joins Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula, and Jasmine Paolini at the season-ending tournament from November 1-8.

The 2022 Wimbledon champion has joined the elite field in Saudi Arabia after a successful run, which included a victory at the Ningbo Open in China last week.

Rybakina expressed her excitement, stating it was great to qualify and compete against top players. She mentioned focusing on one match at a time, knowing it would be a long road to qualify.

Rybakina will face sixth seed Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic in the semi-finals on Saturday.

In the other semi-final, Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic will compete against American Sofia Kenin, who saved four match points against third seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in their quarter-final.

Number two seed Rybakina started strong by winning the first three games against Canada’s 19-year-old Mboko to secure the first set. The second set was more competitive, with Rybakina saving a set point before winning in a tiebreak.

Rybakina hit five aces and recorded 23 winners against Mboko’s 17. She described the match as very difficult and was glad to win in two sets, noting her good serving and play during the tiebreak.

Rybakina aims to perform well in the finals but acknowledged feeling a bit tired after playing many matches. She emphasized the importance of managing her body and finishing the season healthy.

Paolini secured the seventh spot by reaching the semi-finals last week in Ningbo.