Who is Katarzyna Kawa?
Katarzyna Kawa is a professional tennis player from Poland, ranked No. 128 in the WTA rankings. She is the opponent Elena Rybakina faces next at the BNB Ningbo Open quarterfinals in China, after Kawa beat 14th-seeded Belinda Bencic.
Why it's in the news
Elena Rybakina advanced to the Ningbo quarterfinals after Polina Kudermetova retired with a shoulder injury, setting up a match against Katarzyna Kawa. Kawa's win over Belinda Bencic has also drawn attention.
- Elena Rybakina — Rybakina reaches Ningbo quarterfinals after Kudermetova retires injured
Background
Katarzyna Kawa is a tennis player who competes on the WTA Tour, the top professional women's tour. She entered the BNB Ningbo Open as a qualifier, meaning she came through the qualifying rounds to reach the main draw. WTA Tennis describes her as an unlikely qualifier and says she is 33 years old. She made her WTA Tour debut in 2010, and this year's Ningbo run is the first time she has beaten a top-20 player, according to WTA Tennis.
In her previous match, Kawa beat Belinda Bencic, the 14th seed, 7-5, 6-2. WTA Tennis reports that Kawa has won four matches in Ningbo this week, including two second-set walkovers in qualifying and a comeback first-round win over Daria Snigur, 1-6, 6-2, 6-4. Kawa said after the Bencic win that she had no particular expectations and was excited for her next match.
Her next match is against Elena Rybakina, the world No. 1 and top seed, who reached the quarterfinals after her second-round opponent, Polina Kudermetova, retired with a right shoulder injury while trailing 5-0 in the first set. WTA Tennis notes that this will be the first meeting between the two players and that Rybakina has not yet completed a set in Ningbo this week.
Sources
- ESPNElena Rybakina advances to Ningbo quarterfinals after Kudermetova injury
- WTA TennisBreaking down the quarterfinal matchups in Ningbo
- Yahoo SportsPost-Wuhan WTA Power Rankings: Rybakina Leads, But Who Is Her Biggest Threat?
- NBC SportsElena Rybakina advances to Ningbo quarterfinals after opponent injury; Alex Eala out