Elena Rybakina moved smoothly through to the quarterfinals of the Toray Pan Pacific Open on Thursday afternoon, defeating Leylah Fernandez in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, in the second round of the WTA 500 event.
And with that, she’s now on the verge of something big.
If she reaches the semifinals in Tokyo, she’ll become the eighth and final qualifier for this year’s WTA Finals, meaning she’s now just a win away.
On Friday she’ll face another Canadian, Victoria Mboko, for a spot in the semifinals, and if she wins that match, she’ll punch her ticket to Riyadh.
If Mboko wins that match, Mirra Andreeva will become the final qualifier.
Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula and Jasmine Paolini were the first seven players to qualify for the elite eight-player event, which kicks off in nine days.
More to come…
