A year after winning the Ningbo Open transformed Elena Rybakina’s season, ‌the world number one returned to the Chinese city and retained her title on Sunday, as her game clicked into gear before another tilt at the WTA Finals.

Her 2025 success proved the springboard for a stellar run as she secured the last spot in the eight-player WTA Finals field the following ⁠week, before winning the season finale and carrying that momentum into the current campaign.

The 27-year-old Kazakh went on to capture the Australian Open title in January before claiming her third Grand Slam crown at the US Open last month.

Rybakina’s 6-2 6-2 win over Leylah Fernandez in the Ningbo final on Sunday came after she had suffered defeat in her first match as world number one in Beijing and an injury-enforced absence from Wuhan.

“It’s the first time I’ve defended a title, so it’s a ‌great ⁠achievement,” Rybakina told the WTA website.

“Ningbo is already a special place. Last year I started to play really well from this tournament. Hopefully it’s going to give me motivation and good energy to continue this season and start the next one.”