ASTANA – Elena Rybakina became the first Kazakhstan athlete and the third player to qualify for the 2023 Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Finals, Sports.kz reported on Sept. 7.
With 5,476 points, Rybakina exceeded the 5,420 cut-off to move into third place in the WTA race after Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and Iga Świątek of Poland.
The 2023 WTA Finals are scheduled from Oct. 29 to Nov. 5 in Cancun, Mexico.
Rybakina’s previous competition was the United States (US) Open, where she reached the third round but lost to Romania’s Sorana Cirstea.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan’s Anna Danilina, in the mixed doubles team with Finland’s Harri Heliövaara, advanced to the US Open final after defeating Japan’s Ena Shibahara and Croatia’s Mate Pavić in a semifinal.
The team will play against Jessica Pegula and Austin Krajicek of the US in the final slated for Sept. 9.