Elena Rybakina has delivered and defeated Victoria Mboko 6-3 7-6 (4) to reach the Tokyo semifinal but also seal the last WTA Finals spot.
Entering today's match, Rybakina had something bigger at stake than just making the Tokyo semifinal - she needed to win to beat out Mirra Andreeva for the last ticket for the prestigious season-ending tournament in Riyadh.
And right out of the gate, the second-seeded Kazakh claimed a break and went 3-0 up before serving out for the opener in the ninth game. In the second set, the 2022 Wimbledon champion faced a set point on her serve while 5-6 down - but managed to save it and force a tie-break - where she opened a 4-1 lead before earning and converting her first match point.
During the match, Rybakina fired five aces and 23 winners.
In the Tokyo semifinal, the Kazakh plays against No. 6 seed Linda Noskova.
Rybakina's reaction to beating Mboko
It was the third meeting between the 2022 Wimbledon champion and Mboko - the Kazakh won their Washington clash in July while the Canadian won their Montreal encounter in August.
It was a very difficult match. Against Victoria, the last time it was the same battle. Im happy today I managed to win in 2 sets," the Kazakh said in her on-court interview after beating Mboko in Tokyo.
Meanwhile, Rybakina is now set for her third consecutive WTA Finals appearance. Now, for the Kazakh, the ideal case scenario would be to win Tokyo and head to Riyadh full of confidence.
