On October 21, Russian tennis player Ekaterina Alexandrova advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2026 Ningbo Open when Ukrainian third seed Marta Kostyuk forfeited her final match with her retreat.
The Russian won the first set 6-4 and went on to play the Alexandrova Win in about 32 minutes. In the match, Alexandrova was controlled in a way that demonstrated her skill in taking the important chances in the match against a higher-ranked player, although the match did not last long.
Alexandrova Ningbo Win: Match Score and Key Moments
The official WTA match results list shows Alexandrova has beaten Kostyuk in the first set, 6-4. The Russian put the only time she had to break-point and controlled her service games.
Marta Kostyuk Retirement Ends Second-Round Clash
Ranked 10th in the world, Kostyuk was unable to play past the first set. This retirement also ended her campaign in Ningbo and gave no indication that she might have matched up a pair of players to become a rival for the top spot.
Alexandrova Faces Leylah Fernandez in Quarterfinals
The win enabled a quarter-final with Canadian Leylah Fernandez on October 23. Fernandez then went on to go down 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, to Alexandrova, bringing her campaign to a close, despite her first-round clash with the Russian going very well.
Ningbo Open Result Impacts WTA Finals Qualification
Kostyuk’s elimination also had an impact on the year-end championship qualification race. After the Ukrainian withdrew, Women’s Tennis Association confirmed that Karolina Muchova had won her final WTA Finals singles spot.
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