Rybakina clinches last remaining spot for WTA Finals by topping Mboko in Tokyo

TOKYO (AP) — Elena Rybakina clinched the last remaining spot for the WTA Finals by beating Victoria Mboko 6-3, 7-6 (4) in the Pan Pacific Open quarterfinals Friday.

The 2022 Wimbledon champion will face the Czech Republic’s Linda Noskova in the semifinals at the Tokyo tournament.

Rybakina, who represents Kazakhstan, moved ahead of Mirra Andreeva to take the eighth spot for next month’s lucrative WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia.

“It’s great to qualify and play some more matches, especially against top players,” Rybakina said. “Last week, I was focusing one match at a time and I knew that to qualify it’s going to take a long road.”

At the WTA Finals, scheduled Nov. 1-8, Rybakina will join top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula, and Jasmine Paolini.

Gauff is the defending champion in Riyadh. The American beat Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen in last year’s final and received $4.8 million in prize money.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis