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World No. 1 Elena Rybakina added another milestone to her standout 2026 season by defeating Canada's Leylah Fernandez in straight sets to win the BNB Ningbo Open title Sunday.
Rybakina needed just 1 hour, 16 minutes to defeat Fernandez 6-2, 6-2. She broke her opponent's serve twice in each set and did not drop her own serve throughout the final.
Sealed in style đź’« The moment Elena Rybakina hit her 24th winner to clinch the #NingboOpen title. https://t.co/twaJLuNkOL
— wta (@WTA) October 25, 2026
Here are some key numbers from Rybakina's victory:
3: This was Rybakina's third consecutive tour-level win over Fernandez. She now holds a 4-2 lead in their head-to-head series on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz.
4: This is Rybakina's fourth title of the season, the most by any player in 2026. Her other titles this year came at the Australian Open, Stuttgart and the US Open.
7: Ningbo is Rybakina's seventh WTA 500 title. Her most recent title at this level before Ningbo came on the clay courts of Stuttgart earlier this year.
8: Rybakina's winning streak in Ningbo. She also won the title in her only previous appearance at the tournament last year, defeating Mirra Andreeva in the final.
After a season-long race, the world's top players converge in the California desert with the WTA's biggest title still to be won.
15: Ningbo marked the 15th singles title of Rybakina's career. Nine of her 15 tour-level titles have come on hard courts.
53: The win over Fernandez is her 53rd tour-level match win of the season, the most on tour. Mirra Andreeva and Jessica Pegula are tied for second with 50 wins each.