Rybakina beats Fernandez in Tokyo, one win away from WTA Finals

With an opening win at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, Elena Rybakina closed in on the final berth for the WTA Finals in Riyadh.

Tokyo: Scores | Draw | Order of play

Fresh from winning in Ningbo, Rybakina handled Osaka champion Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-3 in the second round on Thursday and is now one victory from qualifying for the year-end championships for the third year in a row.

Rybakina needed just 1 hour and 28 minutes to dismiss Fernandez, extending her winning streak to five matches -- a sharp contrast to the three-tiebreak battle Fernandez won in their July semifinal at the Mubadala Citi DC Open. Rybakina never trailed and dropped serve only once, evening their head-to-head at 2-2 and edging closer to overtaking Mirra Andreeva in the Race to the WTA Finals.

Only Victoria Mboko now stands between the 2022 Wimbledon champion and the final spot in Riyadh -- another chance for Rybakina to flip a recent result. In Montreal this August, Mboko saved a match point and edged Rybakina in the semifinals on her way to a breakthrough WTA 1000 title.

"Today was a very difficult match," Rybakina said afterward. "It's always not easy against Leylah, and especially the first match for me here. ... I'm pretty happy with the win and looking forward for my next match.

"I'm feeling a little bit tired of course, but I'm ready to make a last push. I'm very happy with the last week, and I'm trying to bring everything from last week into here."

Rybakina's win against Fernandez was also her 50th match-win on the Hologic WTA Tour this season, making her the fourth player to reach that mark after Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula -- all of whom have qualified for Riyadh. 

Rybakina is the highest-ranked player competing in Tokyo after the pre-tournament withdrawal of Jasmine Paolini, who secured her own spot in Riyadh last week by reaching the Ningbo semifinals before losing to Rybakina.