Elena Rybakina beat Leylah Fernandez 6-2 6-2 to win the Ningbo Open, her first title since becoming world No 1 after the US Open. The defending champion saved all four break points she faced and hit a forehand winner on her first match point.
The victory was Rybakina’s tour-leading fourth title of the year, joining her Australian Open, Stuttgart and US Open trophies. It was also the 15th of her career and her eighth consecutive win at the Ningbo Open, following her triumph over Ekaterina Alexandrova in last season’s final. Fernandez, the 30th-ranked player, was a US Open finalist in 2021.
Rybakina moved past Aryna Sabalenka into the top spot after the US Open, but she was stunned by 118th-ranked Alina Charaeva in her opening match at the China Open. She has since recovered from setbacks in Beijing and Wuhan. She now heads to the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo this week before defending her title at the season finale in Indian Wells, which begins November 8.
Medvedev comes back to defend Almaty Open title
Daniil Medvedev recovered from losing the first set to beat Nikoloz Basilashvili and win the Almaty Open. The reigning champion lost a tiebreak in the first set but raised his level to take the next two sets, winning 6-7 (6-8) 6-1 6-3.
The triumph gave Medvedev his fourth ATP Tour title this year and the first successful title defence of his career. “I always said it’s just a matter of luck, time and moment,” Medvedev said. “I was feeling fresh, I was feeling physically good.”
Medvedev is pushing for a place in the ATP Finals in Turin, which runs from November 15 to 22. Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton have already qualified, while the injured Jannik Sinner will not feature in the eight-man event. Medvedev plays in the Vienna Open from Monday and then the Paris Masters from October 31 as he works to secure his place.
Musetti, Fearnley and Siniakova also claim wins
Lorenzo Musetti won his first ATP Tour title since 2022 at the Grand Prix Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes in Lyon, defeating Taylor Fritz 6-3 6-4. The Italian also ended a seven-match losing streak in tour-level finals.
In Vienna, Britain’s Jacob Fearnley booked his place in the main draw of the Erste Bank Open by beating Lorenzo Sonego 6-1 6-7(3-7) 6-4. He will face fellow Briton Arthur Fery in the first round.
Katerina Siniakova won her first singles title in three years with a commanding 6-1 6-0 win over Ashlyn Krueger at the Japan Open on Sunday. She broke the 22-year-old American’s serve six times in just 64 minutes to claim her sixth career singles title and her first since the Jiangxi Open in Nanchang, China, in 2023. Siniakova, 30, is better known for her doubles success, with 39 career titles, including the US Open women’s doubles title she won with Taylor Townsend last month. Her singles win in Japan came nine years after she won her first singles title in Shenzhen, China, in 2017.