Belinda Bencic recently called out the online trolls sending her hateful messages amidst her run at the 2025 Ningbo Open. The WTA 500 hard court tournament began on October 13, 2025, and will continue until October 19, 2025. The matches are being held at the Yinzhou Tennis Center in Ningbo, China.
What Did Belinda Bencic Say About Trolls Sending Her Hateful Messages Amidst Her Ningbo Open Campaign?
Seeded sixth at the Ningbo Open, Bencic started her campaign by defeating Magda Linette in the first round, winning with a scoreline of 6-3, 6-2. She then advanced to the quarterfinals by eliminating qualifier Yuliia Starodubtseva with a score of 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 in the second round.
3 hours and 33 minutes on ⌚️. 30°C. Zero quit. 🔥
Belinda Bencic battles through the heat and Yuliia Starodubtseva to become the first quarterfinalist in Ningbo! 💪🎾#NingboOpen pic.twitter.com/WEVgoEt0d3
— Ningbo Open (@wtaningboopen) October 15, 2025
After her second-round victory, the Swiss player took to social media to share several hateful messages she had received from trolls. She mentioned that the messages were just a few out of the thousands she gets every day. She highlighted that one of the messages came from an individual who has children.
“On another note. Coming from someone who has kids….” Bencic captioned her Instagram story.
“I don’t usually post this here, but today i feel like it. Just a few out of thousands. Why not,” she continued.
“This is the nicest one i got today. Thank you @madchen_alexa Nice influencer profile btw 👍🏼,” Bencic added.
Despite receiving a barrage of hateful messages, Bencic also expressed gratitude for the many supportive messages she receives from fans.
“But of course, so so many messages of support as well. Lets not forget that. Especially now. Thank you to each one of you ❤️ You keep me going!” Bencic added.
In the lead-up to the Ningbo Open, Bencic competed in the 2025 Wuhan Open, where she overcame Donna Vekić and Elise Mertens before losing to Iga Świątek in the third round.
Who Will Belinda Bencic Face at the 2025 Ningbo Open QF?
Following her win over Starodubtseva in the second round of the 2025 Ningbo Open, Bencic is set to compete against the winner of the match between second-seeded Jasmine Paolini and Veronika Kudermetova in the quarterfinals of the tournament.
Big point ✊@BelindaBencic | #NingboOpen pic.twitter.com/MJeaMozqRi
— wta (@WTA) October 15, 2025
Leading up to the WTA 500 hard-court event in China, Paolini participated in the Wuhan Open, where she reached the semifinals before losing to the eventual champion, Coco Gauff.
Meanwhile, Kudermetova secured her spot against Paolini in the second round of the 2025 Ningbo Open by defeating lucky loser Antonia Ružić in the first round, winning with a scoreline of 6-3, 6-2.
Bencic and Paolini have faced each other three times on the WTA Tour, with the Swiss winning two of those encounters. Their most recent match-up took place at the 2025 United Cup, where Paolini won with a 6-1, 6-1 score.
On the other hand, Bencic and Kudermetova have squared off 11 times on the WTA Tour, with the former World No. 4 securing six victories. Their most recent encounter was in the second round of the 2025 Cincinnati Open, in which Kudermetova triumphed with a scoreline of 6-4, 7-6(0).
The winner of the quarterfinal match between Bencic and either Paolini or Kudermetova at the 2025 Ningbo Open will advance to the semifinals, where they will face either third seed Elena Rybakina, Dayana Yastremska, or qualifier Ajla Tomljanović.