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