Elena Rybakina and Jasmine Paolini are both in contention for the remaining spots at the WTA Finals in Riyadh, and they will lock horns in the semifinals of the Ningbo Open. Both players had contrasting quarterfinal clashes, with third-seeded Rybakina thrashing Ajla Tomljanović 6-2, 6-0 while second-seeded Paolini edged out Belinda Bencic 5-7, 7-5, 6-3.
Before her comprehensive win in the last eight, the Kazakh survived a scare from Dayana Yastremska, winning 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3 while the Italian registered a 6-2, 7-5 win over Veronika Kudermetove to start off her campaign at the Ningbo Open. Rybakina has won 49 out of 68 matches so far in the 2025 season while Paolini has triumphed in 34 out of 44 fixtures.
Elena Rybakina vs. Jasmine Paolini Match Details
Date: Oct. 18, 2025
Tournament: Ningbo Open
Round: Final
Venue: Ningbo, Japan
Category: WTA 500
Surface: Outdoor Hard
Live Telecast: Tennis Channel, TSN, Sky Sports
Rybakina vs. Paolini Head-to-Head
The two have locked horns five times previously on the WTA Tour, with Paolini currently leading the head-to-head 3-2. Their most recent encounter came during the round-robin of last year’s WTA Finals, with the Italian registering a 7-6(5), 6-4.
Rybakina vs. Paolini Prediction
Paolini will be the on-paper favorite to win the match due to a number of reasons, one of which includes having a better win percentage (77.3%) so far in 2025 compared to Rybakina (72.1%). Additionally, the Italian has won both of her prior encounters against the Kazakh on hard courts. That said, Rybakina on her day is more than capable of giving Paolini a run for her money.
Dominant display 💪
Elena Rybakina puts in a clinical performance to win in straight sets against Tomljanovic and set up a semifinal against Paolini.#NingboOpen pic.twitter.com/pwvT2hf6AS
— wta (@WTA) October 17, 2025
The 2022 Wimbledon champion has won 55 out of 72 points on her first serve so far during the Ningbo Open, having served 17 aces. She is among the finest servers on tour and will look to make the most out of it against Paolini. Rybakina is a solid hitter and will aim to take the match by the jugular from the start.
Paolini’s first-serve numbers in Ningbo have been considerably inferior to the Kazakh’s, as the Italian has won 73 out of 119 points (71.3%) on it, amassing five aces. The 29-year-old has produced some solid tennis and her hitting has been quite clean in recent fiixtures.
While Rybakina is a solid player in her own right, consistency has been a major issue and there have been moments when she has been pretty sloppy. However, if the Kazakh is at her best and is composed, then there is a very good chance of her toppling Paolini and reach her second final of the 2025 season.
Prediction: Rybakina to win in three sets.
