World No. 1 Rybakina Survives Kawa Scare to Reach Ningbo Semifinals

World No. 1 Elena Rybakina was pushed all the way by qualifier Katarzyna Kawa before securing her place in the Ningbo Open semifinals on Friday with a 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 victory. The 128th-ranked Kawa, who had already stunned Belinda Bencic earlier in the week, threatened the tournament's biggest shock yet when she broke Rybakina's serve three times in a back-and-forth second set to level the match. But the defending champion regrouped decisively, dropping just one game in the decider to set up a semifinal meeting with sixth-seeded Diana Shnaider. Shnaider earned her place in the last four with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 win over American Iva Jovic and will now attempt to reach the Ningbo final again after finishing runner-up at the tournament in 2023. The other semifinal will be contested by Canada's Leylah Fernandez and Marie Bouzkova after Fernandez defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 for her second tour semifinal of 2026 — she won the Singapore title the last time she reached the final four — while Bouzkova beat fellow Czech Sara Bejlek 6-3, 6-4. The quarterfinal results cap a dramatic week in Ningbo, where earlier action saw Marta Kostyuk retire hurt and Iga Swiatek withdraw, sealing Karolina Muchova's place at the season-ending WTA Finals.