Elena Rybakina beat Leylah Fernandez 6-2 6-2 to win the Ningbo Open, her first title since becoming world No 1 after the US Open. The defending champion now has the most titles on the WTA Tour this year, with her fourth of 2025 and the 15th of her career.
Rybakina improved to 8-0 in her career at the Ningbo Open, having beaten Ekaterina Alexandrova in last season’s final. She saved all four break points she faced against the 30th-ranked Fernandez, a US Open finalist in 2021, and closed out the match with a forehand winner on her first match point.
Rybakina had moved past Aryna Sabalenka into the top spot after the US Open, but she was then stunned by 118th-ranked Alina Charaeva in her opening match at the China Open. After setbacks in Beijing and Wuhan, she now looks strong as she heads to the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo this week. She will launch her title defence at the season finale in Indian Wells from November 8.
Medvedev fights back to defend Almaty title
Daniil Medvedev recovered from losing the first set to beat Nikoloz Basilashvili and win the Almaty Open. The reigning champion lost a tiebreak in the opening set but raised his level to take the next two, winning 6-7 (6-8) 6-1 6-3. It is his fourth title on the ATP Tour this year and the first successful defence of his career.
“I always said it’s just a matter of luck, time and moment,” Medvedev said. “I was feeling fresh, I was feeling physically good.”
Medvedev is pushing for a place at the ATP Finals. Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton have already qualified for the eight-man event in Turin from November 15-22, while the injured Jannik Sinner will not feature. Medvedev plays in the Vienna Open from Monday and then the Paris Masters from October 31 as he looks to secure his place.
Musetti and Fearnley impress
Lorenzo Musetti clinched his first ATP Tour title since 2022 at the Grand Prix Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes in Lyon, defeating Taylor Fritz 6-3 6-4. The Italian also ended a seven-match losing streak in tour-level finals.
In Vienna, Jacob Fearnley booked his place in the main draw of the Erste Bank Open after beating Lorenzo Sonego 6-1 6-7 (3-7) 6-4. The win sets up an all-British first-round clash with Arthur Fery.
Siniakova dominates in Japan
Katerina Siniakova claimed her first singles title in three years with a commanding 6-1 6-0 win over Ashlyn Krueger at the Japan Open on Sunday. She broke the 22-year-old American’s serve six times in just 64 minutes.
It is the sixth singles title of the 30-year-old’s career and her first since winning the Jiangxi Open in Nanchang, China, in 2023. It also came nine years after she won her first singles title in Shenzhen, China, in 2017. Siniakova is better known for her doubles success, with 39 career titles, including the US Open women’s doubles crown she won with Taylor Townsend last month.