Rybakina clinches WTA Finals spot by reaching Pan Pacific Open last four

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Elena Rybakina has claimed the last spot in the WTA Finals line-up after her win over Victoria Mboko at the Pan Pacific Open.

Rybakina beat Mboko 6-3 7-5 (7-4) on Friday to seal her spot in the semi-finals in Tokyo.

And that win also ensured the 2022 Wimbledon champion's place at next month's season-ending WTA Finals in Riyadh.

Rybakina joins Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, Madison Keys, Jessica Pegula and Jasmine Paolini in qualifying for the event.

"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."

Rybakina, who triumphed at the Ningbo Open last week, will take on Linda Noskova for a place in the Pan Pacific Open final.

Data Debrief: Rybakina makes it a perfect 10

For the first time since the round-robin format's reintroduction in 2003, five players (Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Gauff, Pegula and Rybakina) have qualified for the WTA Finals in three consecutive years.

Rybakina, meanwhile, is the only player to have claimed more than 10 wins respectively at grand slam, WTA 1000 and WTA 500 events in 2025.