The women's singles final lineup at the 2026 Ningbo Open was confirmed on October 24. Rybakina beat Shnaider 6–3, 7–5 to reach the final for a second successive year, while Fernandez defeated Bouzková by the same score to reach her second final of the season. They will contest the title on Center Court on October 25, with the official schedule setting the singles final for no earlier than 17:00 China Standard Time (UTC+8).
Rybakina converts her eleventh set point and withstands a late wobble
WTA's post-match report recorded a one-hour, 35-minute victory for Rybakina, though the straight-sets result was far from straightforward. She missed ten set points in the opener before converting her eleventh. A set point is an opportunity to finish the set by winning the next point; the drawn-out conclusion kept testing her despite her lead.
In her on-court interview, Rybakina said she had played the opening shots well but kept failing to finish after gaining the advantage, before fortunately taking her chance. In the second set, she lost her service game to love while serving for the match, but still prevailed 7–5 in the subsequent exchanges.
The semi-final continued a testing latter part of her Ningbo week. In the quarter-finals, she had needed three sets to defeat qualifier Kawa 6–1, 3–6, 6–1. Here, despite repeatedly missing opportunities and being broken near the finish, she secured a straight-sets win.
Fernandez wins the final three games to end a match of repeated breaks
Fernandez's match against Bouzková lasted one hour and 58 minutes. WTA's account stated that she won the last three games to take the second set and the match. She broke eight times and was broken five times herself, winning 54% of points on her first serve. The victory was therefore not built on consistently comfortable service holds.
Fernandez hit 27 winners and made 25 unforced errors. She said afterward that it had not been her best tennis and semi-final nerves had contributed to mistakes, but she was pleased to have handled the important moments well. This season's Singapore champion will now play her tenth career tour final.
A first final meeting, with a title defense and a second season trophy at stake
Rybakina leads Fernandez 3–2 in their five previous tour meetings and has won the last two. This will be their first final against each other. Rybakina beat Fernandez on her way to the Stuttgart title this season and now has an opportunity to defend her Ningbo title as well. Fernandez is seeking another trophy after Singapore.
Although the semi-final scores were identical, their endings differed: Rybakina had to finish the job after repeatedly missing chances, while Fernandez settled a match of frequent breaks with its last three games. The final matchup is confirmed, but the match itself remains to be played on October 25.
Women's singles semi-final results
| Winner | Loser | Score | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rybakina | Shnaider | 6–3, 7–5 | 1 hour 35 minutes |
| Fernandez | Bouzková | 6–3, 7–5 | 1 hour 58 minutes |
