Ningbo Open 2026 Day 5: Leylah Fernandez Turns the Rivalry Around

By: Jun Pasion |

October 23, 2026

Fernandez levels her rivalry with Ekaterina Alexandrova, while Elena Rybakina, Diana Shnaider and Marie Bouzková complete the Ningbo Open semifinal lineup.

Three tournaments ago, Leylah Fernandez’s recent history against Ekaterina Alexandrova was a story of repeated defeats.

Now, it is a rivalry standing level.

At the Ningbo Open 2026 Day 5 quarterfinals on Friday, October 23, Fernandez recovered from a set down to defeat Alexandrova 4–6, 6–2, 6–1, securing her place in the semifinals.

It was her second consecutive victory over Alexandrova, following their meeting at the Wuhan Open earlier this month.

And it was her third consecutive three-set victory in Ningbo.

Elsewhere, defending champion Elena Rybakina survived a spirited challenge from Katarzyna Kawa, Diana Shnaider ended Iva Jovic’s campaign, and Marie Bouzková kept the Czech Express moving.

Four quarterfinals produced four semifinalists.

Only two seeded players remain.

Ningbo Open 2026 Day 5: Fernandez Finds Another Way Through

Leylah Fernandez has made a habit of finding solutions when matches become difficult.

Her Ningbo campaign began with a comeback against seventh seed Elise Mertens, recovering from a set down and a 3–5 deficit in the deciding set.

She followed that victory with another three-set battle against qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich, surviving more than three hours on court.

Against Alexandrova, the challenge was different but familiar.

The Russian had defeated Fernandez three consecutive times between 2022 and 2025 before the Canadian finally ended that sequence in Wuhan.

Their Ningbo quarterfinal offered another opportunity to change the direction of the rivalry.

The First Set Belonged to Alexandrova

Alexandrova broke Fernandez in the third game of the opening set and protected that advantage.

Fernandez saved additional break points but could not create a break opportunity of her own.

Alexandrova took the set 6–4.

The opening set was relatively close in total points, with Alexandrova winning 34 to Fernandez’s 31.

But Fernandez needed to find a way into her opponent’s service games.

That change arrived in the second set.

Fernandez Turns the Match Around

After the players reached 2–2, Fernandez won four consecutive games.

She broke for 4–2 and broke again to complete the second set 6–2.

More importantly, Alexandrova did not create a single break-point opportunity during the set.

Fernandez’s return performance had changed the contest.

She won just 31.3% of Alexandrova’s service points in the opening set.

That figure rose to 53.6% in the second and 60% in the third.

The deciding set followed the same direction.

Fernandez broke for 2–0, consolidated for 3–0 and, after Alexandrova held for 3–1, won the remaining three games.

Serving for the match at 5–1, Fernandez needed four match points to finish.

Alexandrova saved the first three.

On the fourth, Fernandez struck the winning shot.

Final score: Fernandez def. Alexandrova 4–6, 6–2, 6–1.

The match lasted two hours, five minutes and 23 seconds.

It was not a flawless performance. Fernandez finished with 20 winners and 39 unforced errors, while Alexandrova recorded 21 winners and 59 errors.

But after the opening set, Fernandez prevented Alexandrova from earning another break point.

The balance of the match had shifted.

Watch Fernandez vs Alexandrova highlights:
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Unfinished Business Becomes a Level Rivalry

Their singles rivalry now stands at 3–3.

Fernandez won their first meeting in Adelaide in 2022.

Alexandrova then claimed three consecutive victories, at Cincinnati in 2022, the US Open in 2023 and Adelaide in 2025.

Fernandez broke that sequence at Wuhan on October 12, winning 6–4, 3–6, 6–3.

Eleven days later, she repeated the achievement in Ningbo.

What began as unfinished business has become a rivalry neither player currently leads.

For Fernandez, the victory also secured her second semifinal appearance of 2026, following her title-winning campaign in Singapore.

She has now won 12 of her last 15 matches.

And she remains unbeaten in deciding sets at Ningbo this week.

Three matches. Three deciding sets. Three victories.

Her next opponent is Marie Bouzková.

Elena Rybakina Ends Katarzyna Kawa’s Breakthrough Run

Katarzyna Kawa’s remarkable Ningbo campaign ended in the quarterfinals, but not before she tested the defending champion.

Elena Rybakina defeated the Polish qualifier 6–1, 3–6, 6–1 in one hour and 45 minutes.

The score reflected three distinctly different sets.

Rybakina dominated the opening set, breaking Kawa’s first service game and establishing a 3–0 lead.

She surrendered just two points on serve throughout the set and won it 6–1 in a little over 22 minutes.

But Kawa was not finished.

Kawa Takes Her Opportunity

Rybakina broke at the beginning of the second set, apparently continuing her control.

Kawa responded by winning four consecutive games to lead 4–1.

Although Rybakina recovered to 4–3, Kawa broke again and served out the set 6–3.

The defending champion’s first-serve percentage had fallen to 39.4% during that set, and she committed five double faults.

Kawa took advantage.

For a player who had arrived through qualifying and celebrated her first career Top 20 victory only a day earlier, taking a set from the defending champion was another significant moment.

But Rybakina recovered in the decider.

Her first-serve percentage rose to 71.4%, and she did not face a break point.

She took the final set 6–1 to return to the Ningbo semifinals.

Watch Rybakina vs Kawa highlights:
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The Breakthrough Still Belongs to Kawa

Kawa leaves Ningbo with achievements that Friday’s defeat cannot erase.

At 33, she defeated world No. 14 Belinda Bencic to earn her first career Top 20 victory.

She reached her first WTA Tour quarterfinal on hard courts and her first at WTA 500 level or higher.

Her journey included two qualifying victories, two main-draw victories and a competitive three-set quarterfinal against Rybakina.

Two qualifying wins came through opponents’ retirements, but her completed victories over Daria Snigur and Bencic established the substance of her run.

The tournament is over for Kawa.

The milestone remains.

For Rybakina, the title defense continues.

She now faces Diana Shnaider.

Diana Shnaider Reverses the Dubai Result Against Iva Jovic

Diana Shnaider arrived at her quarterfinal against Iva Jovic with unfinished business of her own.

In Dubai earlier this year, Jovic defeated Shnaider 6–4, 1–6, 6–0.

At Ningbo, Shnaider reversed the outcome.

The sixth seed defeated Jovic 6–3, 4–6, 6–1 in two hours, 11 minutes and 32 seconds.

The result brought their head-to-head record level at 1–1.

Shnaider Responds to an Early Deficit

Jovic began strongly, opening a 2–0 lead.

Shnaider recovered and, from 2–3, won four consecutive games to claim the first set 6–3.

The second set belonged to Jovic.

The American teenager broke at 3–3 and maintained her advantage, winning the set 6–4 without facing a break point.

That response forced a deciding set.

But Shnaider regained control.

She broke for 3–1 and again for 5–1 before serving out the match with an ace on her third match point.

The deciding-set statistics showed the difference.

Shnaider landed 19 of 22 first serves, compared with just six of 15 for Jovic.

She also converted both break-point opportunities while denying Jovic any chance to break.

According to the WTA’s match report, Shnaider used short slices, passing shots and lobs to disrupt Jovic’s rhythm.

The victory sends Shnaider into her fourth semifinal of 2026, following Adelaide, Roland Garros and Washington.

It also continues her strong relationship with Ningbo, where she was runner-up in 2023 and reached the semifinals in 2025.

Watch Jovic vs Shnaider highlights:
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Jovic’s Ningbo Chapter Closes

For Jovic, the tournament ends with one victory and one defeat after receiving a first-round bye.

She defeated Jasmine Paolini in the Round of 16 but could not repeat her Dubai success against Shnaider.

Her seventh quarterfinal appearance of 2026 did not produce a sixth semifinal.

That does not diminish the teenager’s wider season.

It simply closes another chapter in her development.

Our Teenagers storyline will continue beyond Ningbo.

Marie Bouzková Keeps the Czech Express Moving

The Czech Express has reached the Ningbo semifinals.

Marie Bouzková defeated compatriot Sara Bejlek 6–3, 6–4, securing her third WTA Tour semifinal appearance of 2026.

But the straight-sets score concealed a significant second-set recovery.

Bouzková broke early in the opening set and maintained her advantage to take it 6–3.

Bejlek responded by winning the first three games of the second set.

At 3–0, she held three break points for a potential 4–0 lead.

Bouzková escaped.

Then the match changed.

From 0–3 to 5–3

Bouzková won five consecutive games, turning a three-game deficit into a 5–3 lead.

Bejlek held for 5–4, forcing Bouzková to serve for the match.

Even then, the contest was not finished.

Bouzková fell behind 15–40 in the final game but won four consecutive points to secure victory.

Across the match, she saved eight of nine break points.

Both players recorded 19 winners, but Bouzková committed 28 unforced errors compared with Bejlek’s 43.

The victory means Bouzková has reached the semifinals without dropping a set in Ningbo.

Her previous two semifinals this season ended with titles in Bogotá and Nottingham.

Now she has another opportunity on hard courts.

Watch Bejlek vs Bouzkova highlights:
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One Czech Player Remains

For 20-year-old Sara Bejlek, the campaign ends after victories over Alycia Parks and eighth seed Sorana Cîrstea.

Her quarterfinal defeat does not erase those achievements.

But the Czech Express now continues through Bouzková alone.

Her next opponent is Leylah Fernandez.

And their semifinal brings together two very different Ningbo journeys.

Fernandez has needed three deciding sets.

Bouzková has not surrendered a set.

One of them will reach Sunday’s final.

Day 5 Story Seeds: The Tournament Answers More Questions

The original Ningbo Story Seeds were never predictions.

They were questions waiting for results.

With the quarterfinals complete, several have now reached their tournament conclusions.

Story Seed	Status after Day 5	Development
S01 — Alex Eala’s Redemption Road	Resolved	Victory over Parry followed by defeat to Shnaider
S02 — Rybakina’s Title Defense	Developing	Defending champion advances to semifinals
S03 — Chwalińska’s Wuhan Momentum	Resolved	Withdrew before competing
S04 — Jovic / Teenagers	Resolved for Ningbo	Jovic defeats Paolini, then loses to Shnaider
S05 — Świątek and Kostyuk	Resolved	Withdrawal and retirement ended their campaigns
S06 — Guo Hanyu	Resolved	Eliminated by Alexandrova
S07 — Daria Kasatkina	Resolved	Eliminated by Sasnovich
S08 — Challengers Beyond the Headlines	Developing	Fernandez, Shnaider and Bouzková reach semifinals; Kawa’s breakthrough run ends

Three Different Journeys, One Semifinal Weekend

Fernandez entered Ningbo seeking another strong result after her Singapore title.

Kawa arrived through qualifying and produced the biggest ranked victory of her career.

Jovic came looking to extend a season already filled with quarterfinal appearances.

By Friday evening, their stories had taken different directions.

Fernandez advanced.

Kawa departed with a career milestone.

Jovic’s campaign ended against an opponent she had beaten earlier in the season.

Meanwhile, Rybakina remains on course to defend her title, and Bouzková continues the Czech Express storyline.

The draw has not simply reduced the field.

It has clarified which stories continue into the final weekend.

What’s Next: Ningbo Open 2026 Semifinals

Saturday, October 24, brings two semifinal matches.

Leylah Fernandez vs Marie Bouzková

Not before 15:00 Ningbo / 09:00 Paris

Their only previous singles meeting came in Toronto in 2019, when Bouzková defeated a 16-year-old Fernandez 6–0, 6–1.

Seven years later, they meet under very different circumstances.

Fernandez arrives after three consecutive deciding-set victories and nearly eight hours of singles court time.

Bouzková has won all six sets she has played in Ningbo.

She has also demonstrated an ability to recover under pressure, particularly against Bejlek.

The central question is straightforward:

Can Fernandez find another solution against an opponent who has yet to lose a set?

Elena Rybakina [1] vs Diana Shnaider [6]

Not before 17:30 Ningbo / 11:30 Paris

Rybakina leads their head-to-head 2–0.

She defeated Shnaider in Stuttgart and Cincinnati earlier in 2026, both times in straight sets.

The defending champion enters the semifinal after recovering from a difficult second set against Kawa.

Shnaider arrives after defeating Jovic in three sets and reaching her fourth semifinal of the season.

Their matchup presents another question:

Can Shnaider find a different answer against a champion who has beaten her twice this year?

The winner will face either Fernandez or Bouzková in Sunday’s final.

Ningbo Open 2026 Day 5 — Complete Quarterfinal Results

Elena Rybakina [1] def. Katarzyna Kawa [Q] 6–1, 3–6, 6–1
Diana Shnaider [6] def. Iva Jovic [4] 6–3, 4–6, 6–1
Leylah Fernandez def. Ekaterina Alexandrova 4–6, 6–2, 6–1
Marie Bouzková def. Sara Bejlek 6–3, 6–4

Match durations are from official WTA records.