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Elena Rybakina and Daniil Medvedev successfully defended their respective tennis titles over the weekend, with Rybakina claiming the Ningbo Open and Medvedev winning the Almaty Open. Both players secured their fourth titles of the year during successful tournament runs on the global tours.
Rybakina Claims Ningbo Open Title
Elena Rybakina won the Ningbo Open to secure her first title since becoming world No 1 earlier this year, defeating Leylah Fernandez 6-2 6-2 in the final. Rybakina had previously moved past Aryna Sabalenka into the top spot after the US Open before suffering an early loss to Alina Charaeva at the China Open. This victory marks her tour-leading fourth title of the year, alongside her Australian Open, Stuttgart, and US Open trophies, bringing her career total to 15.
Having also beaten Ekaterina Alexandrova in last season’s final, Rybakina improved her career record at the Ningbo Open to 8-0. Against the 30th-ranked Fernandez, she saved all four break points faced and secured the win with a forehand winner on her first match point. Following earlier setbacks in Beijing and Wuhan, Rybakina advanced to the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo and prepared for her title defense at the season finale in Indian Wells.
Medvedev Overcomes Deficit in Almaty
Daniil Medvedev recovered from a first-set loss to defeat Nikoloz Basilashvili and win the Almaty Open title. The reigning champion lost a tiebreak in the opening set before raising his performance level to take the next two sets 6-7 (6-8) 6-1 6-3. The victory earned him his fourth title on the ATP Tour this year as he campaigns for a spot in the ATP Finals alongside players like Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, and Ben Shelton, while the injured Jannik Sinner sits out the Turin tournament.
Reflecting on the achievement, Medvedev stated, “I always said it’s just a matter of luck, time [and] moment. I was feeling fresh, I was feeling physically good. I’m happy to finally do it I guess.” Medvedev planned to compete in the Vienna Open and the Paris Masters to solidify his qualification for Turin. Meanwhile, Lorenzo Musetti ended a seven-match losing streak in tour-level finals by defeating Taylor Fritz at the Grand Prix Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes in Lyon for his first ATP Tour title since 2022.
Siniakova Dominates at Japan Open
Katerina Siniakova captured her first singles title in three years with a 6-1 6-0 victory over Ashlyn Krueger at the Japan Open. Siniakova broke the American’s serve six times in a 64-minute match to earn her sixth career singles title, her first since the Jiangxi Open in 2023. Known primarily for her doubles success with 39 career titles—including last month’s US Open crown with Taylor Townsend—the victory came nine years after her first singles title in Shenzhen in 2017.
In other tennis news, Britain’s Jacob Fearnley advanced to the main draw of the Erste Bank Open after defeating Lorenzo Sonego 6-1 6-7(3-7) 6-4, setting up a first-round match against compatriot Arthur Fery.
