Ningbo Open 2025 Day 4: Women's singles predictions ft. Jasmine Paolini vs Veronika Kudermetova, Liudmila Samsonova vs McCartney Kessler

Second-round matches will conclude on Day 4 (Thursday, October 16) of the Ningbo Open 2025. Sixth seed Belina Bencic fought from a set down to beat Yuliia Starodubtseva 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 in the second round on Wednesday.

Seventh seed Diana Shnaider also staged a comeback to score a 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 win over former French Open finalist Karolina Muchova. Both winners are through to the quarterfinals, along with Ajla Tomljanovic.

The rest of the players will now aim to join them in the last eight on Thursday. On that note, here's a look at the predictions for the second-round matches set for Day 4 of the Ningbo Open 2025:

#1. Jasmine Paolini vs Veronika Kudermetova

Paolini's enjoying her time in Asia, reaching the quarterfinals of the China Open and winning the doubles title there. She also made the semifinals of the Wuhan Open a week ago. She lost to eventual champions Amanda Anisimova and Coco Gauff respectively, She has now put herself on the cusp of qualifying for the WTA Finals, and needs to remain ahead of Elena Rybakina to secure her spot.

Paolini received a bye into the second round of the Ningbo Open, while her opponent, Kudermetova, beat Antonia Ruzic 6-3, 6-2 in the first round. Their rivalry is tied at 2-2 in main draw matches at the WTA level.

Paolini won their most recent tussle at the Cincinnati Open 2025 in three sets. Given her current form, it's unlikely for their upcoming showdown to go the distance.

Predicted winner: Jasmine Paolini to win in straight sets.

#2. Liudmila Samsonova vs McCartney Kessler

Liudmila Samsonova is the eighth seed at the Ningbo Open 2025. (Photo: Getty)

Samsonova beat Guo Hanyu 6-2, 6-4 to reach the second round of the Ningbo Open, while Kessler did the same by handing compatriot Sofia Kenin a 6-1, 6-0 beatdown. This will be the first career meeting between them.

Both players have been inconsistent during the Asian swing. Samsonova left the China Open without a win and then reached the third round of the Wuhan Open. Kessler, on the other hand, lost in the fourth round of the China Open but failed to clear the first hurdle in Wuhan.

Both players also have a comparable win-loss record this year. Samsonova has tallied 30 wins against 22 losses, while Kessler has posted 29 wins against 21 losses. While this match is a toss-up based on their results, if Kessler maintains her form from the previous round, then she will certainly be favored to win.

Predicted winner: McCartney Kessler to win in three sets.

#3. Elena Rybakina vs Dayana Yastremska

Predicted winner: Elena Rybakina to win in straight sets.

#4. Ekaterina Alexandrova vs Yuan Yue

Predicted winner: Ekaterina Alexandrova to win in straight sets.

About the author

Rohit is a journalist at Sportskeeda who specializes in covering tennis. Having been with the company for four years, he has proven himself as a formidable force in the field. With a Master's degree in law, Rohit brings his analytical and research skills to the forefront as a journalist. He stays on top of the game by using social media platforms and never misses a match for on-court insights. He values giving credit where it's due, keeping his reporting fair and accurate.

At the outset of his career, Rohit found his niche in writing previews and SEO pieces and it's this expertise that continues to define his role at Sportskeeda. He is particularly proud of one article that garnered an impressive 750k views and surpassed his "wildest dreams." Rohit is not particularly fond of (GOAT) debates and it is one of the reasons why he left the legal world behind. He prefers to view players in "tiers," where they're all esteemed to an extent. However, if pressed to name favorites, he would choose Serena and Venus Williams. The Williams sisters' journey from humble beginnings to the pinnacle of tennis has been his greatest source of inspiration.

When he isn't busy making spot-on predictions about match outcomes, Rohit likes reading, particularly fantasy, sci-fi, and comics. As an X-Men fanatic, he's also passionate about board games and enjoys watching movies in his spare time. And don't be surprised if you catch him silently wishing to the tennis gods for the removal of ad scoring from doubles.

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Edited by Rohit