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Match Details
Fixture: (3) Elena Rybakina vs (2) Jasmine Paolini
Date: October 18, 2025
Tournament: Ningbo Open 2025
Round: Semifinals
Venue: Yinzhou Tennis Center in Ningbo, China
Category: WTA 500
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $1,064,510
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN
Elena Rybakina vs Jasmine Paolini preview
Elena Rybakina and Jasmine Paolini will lock horns with each other in the first semifinal of the Ningbo Open on Saturday.
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Rybakina dominated Ajla Tomljanovic by 6-2, 6-0 in her last match to reach the semifinals for the first time since the Cincinnati Open in August. The World No. 9 had defeated Dayana Yastremska in a three-set thriller in the second round, but was in total control against Tomljanovic.
The Kazakhstani is enjoying a decent season with a 47-19 win-loss record. She clinched the WTA 500 title in Strasbourg earlier this year but has struggled for consistency in recent tour events. Rybakina suffered an early second-round exit in Beijing, followed by a quarterfinal elimination in Wuhan last week.
Jasmine Paolini, who is second-seeded in Ningbo, overcame sixth-seeded Belinda Bencic in the last round. She lost the opening set but made a strong comeback to take the match 7-5, 5-7, 3-6. The Italian has had a 41-17 win-loss record this season so far. Paolini registered her maiden win in Rome and also finished as a runner-up in Cincinnati in 2025.
Elena Rybakina vs Jasmine Paolini head-to-head
Paolini leads the head-to-head against Rybakina by a 3-2 margin. The Italian won her most recent meeting against Rybakina in the WTA Finals last season.
Elena Rybakina vs Jasmine Paolini prediction
Paolini is having a good season, with a 28-10 win-loss record on hardcourt. The 29-year-old is in good rhythm, as she reached the semifinals in Wuhan last week before falling to the eventual winner, Coco Gauff.
Meanwhile, Rybakina, a former World No. 3, last won a semifinal match on hardcourt in Miami in 2024. The 2022 Wimbledon winner failed to make the final four in Beijing and Wuhan recently, showing her growing struggles in the Asian swing.
There is not much to differentiate, as Paolini leads Rybakina by just one place in the WTA rankings. However, Paolini's three wins against Rybakina have all come on hardcourt, which will give her an upper hand in this battle for the final spot in the 2025 Ningbo Open.
Pick: Jasmine Paolini to win in three sets.
Elena Rybakina vs Jasmine Paolini odds
(Odds will be updated soon)
Elena Rybakina vs Jasmine Paolini betting tips
Tip 1: Result: Paolini to win.
Tip 2: Rybakina to win a set.
Tip 3: The match is likely to go over 25 games.
