“Of course, all the focus is going to the WTA Finals,” said a jubilant Elena Rybakina two years ago after confirming her maiden debut at the year-end championship featuring the top eight female stars of the WTA Tour. Since 2023, the Kazakh tennis sensation and former World No.3 has been a consistent presence at the event. This season, her qualification chances initially looked uncertain — but once again, Rybakina has shown that she thrives under pressure. At the Japan Open this week, she has done it not once, but three times, while closing the door on her close competitor, Mirra Andreeva.

Rybakina carried her momentum from the Ningbo title into Tokyo, determined to make a deep run. She needed to win her first two matches at the Toray Pan Pacific Open to confirm her WTA Finals spot — and she delivered. On Thursday, she opened her campaign with a commanding straight-sets victory over Leylah Fernandez. The following day, she sealed her ticket to Riyadh by defeating Canada’s Victoria Mboko 6–3, 7–6(4) in just over an hour and a half.

With that result, Rybakina became the only player this season to record more than 10 match wins across Grand Slam, WTA 1000, and WTA 500 events, according to OptaAce.

The match itself, however, was far from easy. Both players hit more winners than unforced errors, but Rybakina’s 23 clean strikes outshone Mboko’s 17. Reflecting on the hard-fought win and her qualification for the WTA Finals, Rybakina said, “It was a very difficult match against Victoria — the last time, it was the same battle,” recalling their previous meeting.

A few months ago at the Canadian Open, Mboko had rallied from a set down to beat Rybakina in the semifinals before going on to claim the title. This time, though, the Kazakh refused to let history repeat itself. “I’m very happy that today I managed to win in two sets. In the second set, we were going so close, both serving really well, so I’m glad that I could push a little bit more in the tiebreak and win in two sets,” she said, as reported by the WTA on October 24.

With this victory, Rybakina officially eliminated teenage Russian star Mirra Andreeva from WTA Finals contention. For Mirra Andreeva to qualify, she needed a deep run in Tokyo — and for Rybakina to lose early. Unfortunately for the young Russian, neither condition materialized. She was forced to withdraw from the event after visa complications, while Rybakina continued to advance confidently.

Looking back on her performance, Rybakina expressed satisfaction with how she managed the match and emphasized her intent to maintain momentum heading into the season finale.

Elena Rybakina speaks about her performance after WTA Finals confirmation

The current World No.7 dominated through her second serves against Mboko on Friday. While both players were evenly matched on first serves, Rybakina’s command on her second delivery made the decisive difference.

She won an impressive 79 percent of her second-serve points, compared to Mboko’s mere 17 percent. Rybakina also saved all her break points while converting 33 percent of her own chances — something her opponent failed to do. Her returning game was equally sharp, winning 82 percent of points on Mboko’s second serve versus just 22 percent for the Canadian.

“I’m happy that my serve was working pretty well … on the return, I was trying to move a bit position, but again she was serving so well that it was really difficult. Even when I caught the ball on the racquet,” Rybakina explained. The Kazakh concluded, “it was still too hard to put it in. It was a very tough, very close match, but I’m happy with the result.”

Rybakina will now look to extend her winning streak further. In the semifinals, she faces No.6 seed Linda Noskova — marking her best run in Tokyo after falling in the Round of 32 during her 2022 debut. The Kazakh will aim to reach the summit clash and claim her second consecutive title this month after her triumph in Ningbo. Doing so would give her the perfect boost of confidence heading into the WTA Finals next month.