Elena Rybakina is currently in action at the Ningbo Open, and she has confirmed she will play another tournament before the 2026 WTA Finals.

After receiving a first round bye, Rybakina began her campaign in Ningbo with a second round match against world No 105 Polina Kudermetova on Thursday.

World No 1 Rybakina was leading 5-0 in the first set after breaking serve three times when Kudermetova was forced to retire due to a physical issue.

In her on-court interview, Rybakina said: “Definitely not the way I wanted to finish the match.

“I think Polina, before, she played some tough matches and conditions here are not easy. The balls are quite heavy. I just wish her a speedy recovery and hope it’s nothing too serious.”

After the match, Rybakina confirmed she will also compete at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo next week.

“Hello everyone, it’s Elena here. I’m really excited to be coming to Tokyo to play at the Toray Pan Pacific Open this year,” Rybakina said in a video posted on her Instagram.

“I’m looking forward to seeing in Japan, and compete again at this great tournament. See you all very soon in Tokyo.”

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Rybakina was already on the entry list for the WTA 500 in Tokyo, but few would have been surprised if she withdrew from the event.

Prior to her opening match in Ningbo, Rybakina’s only match since she won the US Open was a shock defeat to Alina Charaeva at the China Open.

The 27-year-old pulled out of last week’s WTA 1000 tournament in Wuhan due to a lingering left foot injury that she has been managing.

The injury forced Rybakina to retire during her Cincinnati Open quarter-final match against Iga Swiatek in August.

Given Rybakina’s foot issue, it is somewhat surprising that she is planning to play back-to-back 500 tournaments in Ningbo and Tokyo.

Rybakina is a heavy favourite to finish 2026 as the world No 1 as she holds a healthy 1,050-point lead over Aryna Sabalenka, so she could have afforded to skip either event.

The Kazakh will defend her title at the WTA Finals in Indian Wells next month, and none of the other seven qualifiers for the prestigious event are competing in Ningbo or Tokyo.

Rybakina, therefore, looks set to arrive in Indian Wells having played a significantly higher number of matches in the preceding weeks than her rivals.

This could give her an edge in match sharpness, but it also comes with the potential of putting her body at risk.

It will be intriguing to see how Rybakina navigates the coming days, and whether she changes her mind about playing in Tokyo if she goes all the way in Ningbo.

The three-time Grand Slam champion will next face 128th-ranked Katarzyna Kawa in the Ningbo Open quarter-finals on Friday.