Leylah Fernandez from Canada advanced towards claiming her second WTA title of the year by defeating Ekaterina Alexandrova from Russia in the quarterfinals of the Ningbo Open. After dropping the first set, Fernandez, hailing from Laval, Que., bounced back strongly with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 victory over Alexandrova, evening their head-to-head record at 3-3.
Having recently secured her sixth career WTA title in Singapore, the 24-year-old Fernandez showcased dominance in her match against Alexandrova by securing four breaks while not conceding any over the subsequent two sets. She has been in stellar form, winning 12 of her last 15 matches leading up to this tournament.
In the upcoming semifinals, Fernandez will face Marie Bouzkova, who previously defeated her in their only encounter during the first round of the 2019 Rogers Cup in Toronto. Meanwhile, top-ranked Elena Rybakina narrowly avoided a significant upset against qualifier Katarzyna Kawa, eventually triumphing 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 to set up a semifinal clash with Diana Shnaider.
Shnaider, seeded sixth, advanced by overcoming fourth-seeded American Iva Jovic 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 and will aim to reach the Ningbo final once again after finishing as a runner-up in 2023. This week also saw Karolina Muchova securing the final spot at the WTA Finals due to Marta Kostyuk’s retirement with wrist pain and Iga Swiatek’s withdrawal due to a thigh injury in Ningbo.