Elena Rybakina bounced back from a second-set wobble to beat Katarzyna Kawa in three sets and reach the Ningbo Open semi-finals.

The world number one needed one hour and 46 minutes to earn her 6-1 3-6 6-1 victory and avoid a shock loss to the qualifier.

Rybakina opened the first set with a three-game winning streak, and although Kawa avoided a bagel, she was not able to win another game in the first set.

However, Kawa immediately hit back after having her serve broken at the start of the second, drawing level before fending off six break points in the third game.

She put together a four-game winning run in total, defending another five break points along the way, and when Rybakina cancelled out her advantage, she snatched it straight back and forced a decider.

Rybakina regrouped quickly, though, with the third set following the exact same pattern as the first to book her place in the final four.

Back in the Ningbo semis Elena Rybakina takes the win over Kawa in three sets to advance to the next round. #NingboOpen https://t.co/bWmqg0vdC1

— wta (@WTA) October 23, 2026

Rybakina steadies the ship to keep title defence alive

There were moments in the second set where Rybakina looked completely on the ropes as Kawa threatened a major upset, but she regained her control.

It was a strong start by Rybakina, who landed 83% of her first serves in the first set, hit 11 winners, committed no double faults and made just four unforced errors.

However, in the second set, all of those changed. She landed just 39% of her first serves, committed five double faults and made a whopping 20 unforced errors.

Kawa had no response when Rybakina showed her credentials as the top seed, though.

The defending champion will face Diana Shnaider, who outlasted Iva Jovic in a two-hour-11-minute classic to reach her fourth semi-final of 2026.

Shnaider triumphed 6-3 4-6 6-1 and is chasing a first trophy in Ningbo, and her first title since Monterrey last year.

Leylah Fernandez also needed three sets to overcome Ekaterina Alexandrova 4-6 6-2 6-1, and she will face Marie Bouzkova after her 6-3 6-4 victory against Sara Bejlek.