Rybakina, the top seed at Ningbo, survived a scare in the quarterfinals against qualifier Katarzyna Kawa. The match went to a third set, meaning Rybakina had to work harder than expected to advance. Kawa, coming through qualifying, pushed the favorite to the limit and came close to pulling off an upset. Rybakina eventually found her form when it mattered and closed out the victory. The result keeps her on track at the event but serves as a reminder that form can be inconsistent even for top-ranked players. Kawa's performance showed she belongs in these conversations at tour level, even if she didn't have a seeded draw into the main draw.