TOKYO – Elena Rybakina defeated Victoria Mboko 6-3, 7-6 (4) in the Pan Pacific Open quarterfinals on Friday to earn the last remaining spot in the WTA Finals.
The 2022 Wimbledon champion will face Czech Republic’s Linda Noskova in the semi-finals of the Tokyo tournament.
Kazakhstan’s Rybakina has secured the eighth place spot at next month’s lucrative WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia ahead of Mila Andreeva.
“It’s great to qualify and get more matches, especially against top players,” Rybakina said. “Last week I was focused on one game at a time and I knew it was going to be a long road to qualify.”
At the WTA Finals, scheduled for November 1-8, Rybakina will face top-ranked players Arina Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula and Jasmine Paolini.
Gauff is Riyadh’s defending champion. The American defeated Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen in last year’s final and won $4.8 million in prize money.
