Jasmine Paolini, the second seed at the WTA 500 2025 AUX Ningbo Open, demonstrated her determination to qualify for the WTA Finals with a remarkable comeback victory over sixth-seeded Belinda Bencic. In a gripping quarter-final match held on Friday, Paolini triumphed 5-7, 7-5, 6-3, defeating the Tokyo Olympic gold medalist after nearly three and a half hours of intense play.
Reflecting on the challenging match, Paolini stated, “One of the toughest I ever played, honestly. Belinda is an amazing player and a very good person. She deserved to win as well, so it was really tough. I’m happy I stayed there, because at the beginning I had too many mistakes. I couldn’t find my best tennis, but then I just tried to stay in every point and turn the match somehow.”
Paolini’s victory sets her up for a semi-final clash on Saturday against third-seeded Elena Rybakina. Rybakina had an easier path to the semi-finals, dispatching Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic with a swift 6-2, 6-0 victory, which took less than an hour.
For Paolini, securing a win against Rybakina is vital to her hopes of qualifying for the upcoming WTA Finals in Riyadh next month. She acknowledged the pressure but emphasized the importance of focusing on her game, saying, “It’s in my mind, but when I step on court, I try to think about the tennis. If I want to qualify, I have to play good matches and win matches. It’s not easy, but I try to focus on my tennis and let’s see what happens.”
Rybakina, although unable to clinch her spot at the finals this week, expressed hope for her remaining matches and highlighted her focus on health and performance. “I know I still need to win a lot of matches, not only here but also next week,” she mentioned. “This season has been very long and not that successful for me, but I still think pretty decent.”
Paolini’s quarter-final match against Bencic was a contest filled with ups and downs, marked by long rallies and crucial turning points. Serving for the match at 5-4 in the second set, Bencic faltered, allowing Paolini to stall her momentum. After a medical timeout due to a thigh issue, Bencic’s physical condition further deteriorated, impacting her performance in the deciding set.
Bencic had entered the match with vigor, having recently played one of the longest matches of the year, but Paolini’s resilience shone through as she adapted her game to seize control. The Italian ultimately rallied from significant deficits within the second set, leaving Bencic struggling to maintain her earlier intensity.
Now that Paolini has reached the semi-finals, the stakes are high. She stands just one victory away from securing her spot in Riyadh, but she will need to overcome a capable Rybakina, who she defeated in their previous hard court encounter at last year’s WTA Finals.
Meanwhile, in the other half of the draw, fourth-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova advanced to the semi-finals by defeating American McCartney Kessler 6-3, 6-3. She will face fellow Russian and seventh seed Diana Shnaider, who edged past local wild-card Zhu Lin with a score of 2-6, 6-3, 6-1.
With the tournament heating up, the semi-final matchups promise to deliver more thrilling tennis as players vie for a coveted spot in the WTA Finals.
