Jasmine Paolini defeated world No. 31 Veronika Kudermetova 6-2 7-5 to reach the Ningbo quarterfinal and also extend her chances of qualifying for the WTA Finals.
The second-seeded Italian made a bit of a sluggish start after being broken to love in the opening game of the match. However, the 2024 Wimbledon finalist quickly corrected it by impressively taking the next six games and bagging the first set.
Midway through the second set, Kudermetova claimed a break to go 3-2 up. But just as was the case in the first set, Paolini came back as the No. 2 seed registered breaks in the sixth and 12th games to overturn the deficit and complete the job in two sets.
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The Italian tennis star was clinical on her break point conversion, realizing five of six of her break point opportunities.
Who is Paolini's next rival in Ningbo?
For a place in the Ningbo semifinal, Paolini will play against Belinda Bencic, who outlasted qualifier Yulia Starodubtseva in a three-set marathon yesterday. It will be the fourth meeting between the two. Bencic won their first two meetings (2018 Las Vegas and 2022 Billie Jean King Cup), but the Italian got her revenge when they clashed at the United Cup earlier this year.
By reaching the quarterfinal at the WTA 500 tournament in Ningbo, Paolini is making a stronger case for herself to book a WTA Finals ticket. In the live Race to Riyadh, the Italian sits at No. 8 with 4,238 ranking points in 2025 while Elena Rybakina follows with 3,913.
