Elena Rybakina beat Leylah Fernandez 6-2, 6-2 on Sunday to retain her Ningbo Open title. The world number one used her power to secure the win, boosting her year-end ranking hopes. Meanwhile, Katerina Siniakova won the Japan Open in Tokyo, defeating Ashlyn Krueger 6-1, 6-0 to claim her sixth career title.
Elena Rybakina has taken a big step toward ending the year as the world's top-ranked player, powering to a straight-sets win in Ningbo.
Elena Rybakina cruised past unseeded Canadian Leylah Fernandez 6-2 6-2 in Sunday's Ningbo Open final, defending her crown and claiming her first title as world number one, just ahead of next month's WTA Finals.
The win also moved the Kazakh a long way toward finishing the year ranked number one, adding to a remarkable season in which she took the Australian Open and then the US Open titles to reach the top spot.
The top seed got the break she needed in the fifth game, using her signature power, and followed it with a stinging crosscourt backhand winner to lead 4-2. The 27-year-old then sealed the first set in just 38 minutes.
Fernandez, ranked 30th, started the second set well, but Rybakina weathered the early pressure, stepped up her game, forced an error and broke to go 2-1 ahead. The three-time Grand Slam champion coasted to the finish from there.
The title is a well timed boost after disappointing runs in Beijing and Wuhan for Rybakina, who now turns to this week's Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, before beginning her title defence at the season-ending finale in Indian Wells from November 8.
Siniakova beats Krueger in Japan Open final
In Tokyo, Czechia's Katerina Siniakova took down USA's Ashlyn Krueger 6-1, 6-0 to claim her first singles title in three years at the Japan Open on Sunday.
Siniakova broke the 22-year-old American's serve six times in just 64 minutes to claim her sixth career singles title and first since winning the Jiangxi Open in Nanchang, China, in 2023.