The 2025 Aux Ningbo Open is set to captivate tennis enthusiasts as it kicks off on October 13, featuring a remarkable cast of competitors at the WTA 500 event. Scheduled to run until October 19 at the Ningbo (Yinzhou) Tennis Center in China, the tournament showcases three champions from the 2025 WTA 1000 series and six past Grand Slam winners, including the talented Brit Emma Raducanu.
The main draw consists of 28 players, with the spotlight on World No. 5 Mirra Andreeva from Russia, who recently triumphed at both the Dubai Tennis Championships and the Indian Wells Open. Andreeva is seeded first, with Italy’s Jasmine Paolini, who won the Italian Open, proudly occupying the second seed position.
Joining these prominent names in the competition is Canadian Victoria Mboko, victorious at the Canadian Open, alongside a cohort of Grand Slam champions: Jelena Ostapenko (2017 French Open), Sofia Kenin (2020 Australian Open), Barbora Krejcikova (2021 French Open and 2024 Wimbledon), Raducanu (2021 US Open), Elena Rybakina (2022 Wimbledon), and Marketa Vondrousova (2023 Wimbledon).
Emma Raducanu, now ranked 29th, will aspire to make a strong impression in Ningbo. After her abrupt exit in the first round of the Wuhan Open last year, there were uncertainties about her participation. Recent updates on social media indicated she was still receiving medical attention just prior to the tournament. Nevertheless, Raducanu has arrived in Zhejiang province and remains in the draw, presenting her with an opportunity to earn valuable ranking points in the latter part of the season.
The 22-year-old is projected to face 31-year-old Zhu Lin in the opening round; Zhu currently holds a ranking of 230 and received a wild card to enter the tournament. If Raducanu prevails, she would move on to meet top-seeded Andreeva, who has a first-round bye, in what would be their inaugural encounter.
The victor of this showdown would then proceed to face one of the two Czechs, Vondrousova or Karolina Muchova, or potentially the 7th-seeded Diana Schaider from Russia in the quarterfinals. Additionally, the fourth-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova is another strong contender in the top half of the draw and is anticipated to reach the semifinals, though she may need to outlast her fellow compatriot, 8th seed Liudmila Samsonova, to advance.
Jasmine Paolini, seeded second, is in a fierce battle for the last available spot at the WTA Finals, which are just around the corner. Paolini recently made headlines by defeating Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals of the Wuhan Open before succumbing to Coco Gauff in the semifinals. She is set to face either Veronika Kudermetova or China’s wild-card Zhang Shuai in her second-round match, potentially clashing with the sixth seed Belinda Bencic in the quarterfinals.
Both Paolini and third-seeded Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan are among the favorites to advance to the semifinals, although Rybakina’s path may be challenging as she is slated to meet the winner of the match between Mboko and Dayana Yastremska first, followed by a potential match against seventh seed Clara Tauson.
Notably, the tournament has seen several high-profile withdrawals. World No. 4 Amanda Anisimova from the USA had been expected to lead the event but has had to withdraw due to a calf injury. Defending champion Daria Kasatkina has also opted to conclude her season early for mental health reasons. Jessica Pegula, who is vying for the Wuhan title, withdrew after securing her place in the year-end WTA Finals with her semifinal showing at the aforementioned tournament.
As the stage is set for the Ningbo Open, fans are eager to see if Raducanu can overcome her past challenges and if Andreeva can continue her impressive run, all while navigating the competitive landscape presented by other remarkable athletes.
