Elena Rybakina’s Bizarre Comeback in Ningbo: Is This the Weirdest WTA Finals Push Ever?

Just when you thought the race to the WTA Finals couldn’t get any stranger, Elena Rybakina decides to have a full-blown identity crisis in the middle of a final, lose a set, remember she’s a Wimbledon champion, and then steamroll her opponent to snatch the Ningbo Open title. No, really, that’s what happened.

Rybakina, the stoic Kazakh with a serve that could punch a hole through a brick wall, came into the Ningbo final against Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova looking like she’d rather be anywhere else. Maybe getting a root canal. Or listening to a timeshare presentation. She was flat, spraying errors all over the court, and generally playing like a top-100 player, not a top-10 titan. Alexandrova, who seems to have Rybakina’s number on hardcourts, happily took advantage of this walkabout, pocketing the first set 6-3. At that point, it looked like another day at the office where Alexandrova would chalk up her fourth straight hardcourt win against the Kazakh.

And then, something snapped.

How Rybakina Flipped the Script

Whatever was said during the set break, or whatever internal monologue Rybakina had, it worked. She walked back on court for the second set looking like a completely different person. The errors vanished. The serves started detonating. The groundstrokes found their mark with vicious intent. The result was a brutal, almost comically one-sided 6-0 demolition. It was less of a tennis set and more of a public flogging. Alexandrova didn’t know what hit her. To be fair, neither did anyone watching.

The third set wasn’t quite a bagel, but the momentum had swung so violently in Rybakina’s favor that the outcome felt inevitable. Rybakina broke early, cranked up the pressure from the baseline, and even showed off some finesse at the net. She closed it out 6-2, securing her 10th career title and, more importantly, keeping her ridiculously late-season push for the WTA Finals alive.

The Wild Race to the WTA Finals

So, what does this all mean for the season finale in Riyadh? Well, it makes things deliciously chaotic. With this win, Rybakina has put herself in a prime position to leapfrog the teenage sensation Mirra Andreeva for the last spot. The math is simple, yet oh-so-dramatic: all Rybakina needs to do is make the semifinals of this week’s Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. Just a semi-final appearance. That’s it.

For Andreeva, it’s got to be a brutal feeling. She’s sitting at home, probably refreshing live scores, completely powerless as her fate rests on Rybakina’s performance in another country. It’s the kind of high-stakes drama the WTA Tour thrives on, and it perfectly sets the stage for the final push. The pressure is now squarely on Rybakina’s shoulders to deliver in Tokyo. Can she do it? Given her tendency to vacillate between utter dominance and inexplicable slumps, your guess is as good as mine.

The rest of the field for the prestigious year-end championship is already set, featuring a who’s who of tennis royalty: Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and Coco Gauff lead the pack. They’ll be joined by Americans Amanda Anisimova, Jessica Pegula, and Madison Keys, along with Italy’s Jasmine Paolini. Now, all eyes are on that final, coveted spot. Will it be the seasoned power of Rybakina or the youthful fire of Andreeva? The next few days in Tokyo will decide it all.