Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina beat unseeded Canadian Leylah Fernandez 6-2, 6-2 in the Ningbo Open final in China on Sunday to retain her title. It is her first trophy since becoming world number one, and a timely boost ahead of next month's WTA Finals.
The top seed broke in the fifth game with her trademark power, then fired a searing crosscourt backhand winner to lead 4-2, and the 27-year-old closed out the opening set in just 38 minutes. World number 30 Fernandez started the second set brightly, but Rybakina absorbed the pressure, broke for 2-1 and cruised home from there.
The win takes the three-time Grand Slam champion a big step closer to finishing the year as world number one, capping a season in which she won the Australian Open and then the US Open to reach the top of the rankings.
It also comes as welcome relief after setbacks in Beijing and Wuhan. Rybakina now heads to the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo this week before starting her title defence at the WTA Finals from November 8.