--- title: "Snigur One Step Away from WTA 500 Main Draw in Ningbo, Starodubtseva Loses to Russia's Zakharova" description: "Ukrainian tennis players played their opening WTA 500 qualifiers in Ningbo: Daria Snigur beat Lin Yujun, while Yulia Starodubtseva lost to Russia's Anastasia Zakharova." date: 2026-10-17T14:25:32.077Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/snigur-starodubtseva-ningbo-wta-500-qualifiers tags: [tennis, wta, wta-500, ningbo, ukraine, snigur, starodubtseva, zakharova] author: "Dmitriy Shatolov" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Snigur One Step Away from WTA 500 Main Draw in Ningbo, Starodubtseva Loses to Russia's Zakharova ![Ukrainian tennis player Daria Snigur joyfully celebrates her victory on the court with a racket](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/17/snigur-starodubtseva-ningbo-wta-500-kvalifikaciya/snigur-starodubtseva-ningbo-wta-500-kvalifikaciya-1.webp) ## Key Points - Daria Snigur (42nd in WTA rankings) defeated Lin Yujun (China) 6:4, 2:6, 6:1 in the first round of WTA 500 qualifications in Ningbo. - Yulia Starodubtseva lost to Russian Anastasia Zakharova 6:1, 7:5; this is her fourth defeat since the US Open and second this season against Zakharova. - Snigur will face Poland's Katarzyna Kawa (127th ranked) in the second qualifying round, whom she has already beaten twice this year. - Elina Svitolina and Marta Kostyuk will compete in the main draw; Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) is the defending champion. Ukrainian tennis players played their opening qualifying matches at the WTA 500 tournament in Ningbo, China. The results were mixed: Daria Snigur defeated China's Lin Yujun to advance to the second round of the qualifiers, while Yulia Starodubtseva failed to overcome the first round, losing to Russian representative Anastasia Zakharova. Sport RBC.UA reports on the progress and outcomes of the matches. ### Snigur Takes Three Sets and Keeps Main Draw Hopes Alive Daria Snigur, ranked 42nd in the WTA world rankings, started the qualifications confidently. She faced Lin Yujun, who received a special invitation to the competition. The match lasted 1 hour and 38 minutes: the Ukrainian started well, handled the second set, but regained the initiative in the decisive set, leaving her opponent no chances. The final score was 6:4, 2:6, 6:1. According to statistics, Snigur did not serve any aces, committed seven double faults, and converted seven out of nine break points. ### Starodubtseva Loses to Zakharova in Straight Sets Yulia Starodubtseva failed to overcome the opening qualifying round, losing to Russian Anastasia Zakharova 6:1, 7:5. The match lasted 1 hour and 30 minutes. Starodubtseva served two aces, committed three double faults, and converted her only break point opportunity, while Zakharova capitalized on four of six chances to break her opponent's serve. For the Ukrainian, this is her fourth defeat since the US Open and her second loss of the season specifically to Zakharova — in June, the Russian defeated her in the first round of the WTA 250 tournament in Eastbourne. ### Who is Next in the Qualifying Draw To secure a spot in the tournament's main draw, Daria Snigur will play against Polish tennis player Katarzyna Kawa, ranked 127th in the WTA rankings. This year, Snigur has already beaten her opponent twice — in the Australian Open qualifications and at the tournament in Beijing, making her the favorite for the upcoming match. ### Ukrainians in the Main Draw and Tournament Context Two more Ukrainians will perform in the main draw of the WTA 500 tournament in Ningbo — Elina Svitolina and Marta Kostyuk. The defending champion of the competition is Elena Rybakina from Kazakhstan. It was previously reported that Elina Svitolina was forced to withdraw from the tournament in Wuhan due to a hand injury, making her participation in Ningbo one of the key events for Ukrainian tennis in this stretch of the season. ## Fact-Check & Sources - [Снигур в шаге от основной сетки, Стародубцева проиграла россиянке: результаты украинок на турнире WTA 500 в Нинбо](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/tennis/snigur-krok-vid-osnovnoyi-sitki-starodubtseva-1792223861.html) - The score, match statistics, rankings, opponents, and tournament context match the primary source text. ## FAQ ### What was the score in Daria Snigur's match against Lin Yujun? Snigur won 6:4, 2:6, 6:1 in 1 hour and 38 minutes, advancing to the second qualifying round. ### Who lost in the match against Yulia Starodubtseva and what was the score? Starodubtseva lost to Russian Anastasia Zakharova 6:1, 7:5 in 1 hour and 30 minutes. ### Who will Snigur play against for a spot in the main draw? Polish tennis player Katarzyna Kawa (127th in the WTA rankings), whom Snigur has already beaten twice this year. ### Which Ukrainian players will compete in the main draw of WTA 500 Ningbo? Elina Svitolina and Marta Kostyuk; the defending champion of the tournament is Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan).