Elena Rybakina enters the BNB Ningbo Open as the World No. 1 and has already qualified for the WTA Finals in Indian Wells. This marks a stark contrast to last year when Rybakina needed to win the title in Ningbo to keep her season alive, a feat she accomplished. However, her participation in this year’s tournament is impacted by a foot injury that led her to withdraw from the Dongfeng · Voyah Wuhan Open.
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While Rybakina defends her title, Iga Swiatek and Marta Kostyuk, the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds, respectively, are both vying for the final qualifying spot in the WTA Finals. They aim to close the gap on Karolina Muchova, currently ranked No. 7 in the Race, by making strong runs in the tournament.
Rybakina will face either Cristina Bucsa or a qualifier in her opening match after receiving a first-round bye. Her path to winning back-to-back titles complicates with strong opponents including No. 4 seed Iva Jovic, No. 5 seed Belinda Bencic, and No. 6 seed Diana Shnaider in her half of the draw.
Notable first-round matches include Belinda Bencic against Jelena Ostapenko, as Bencic looks to recover from a rough patch since her withdrawal in Toronto, while Ostapenko has shown form by reaching the semifinals in Wuhan. Another match to watch is between Alexandra Eala and Diane Parry, both seeking to end losing streaks.
A potential semifinal matchup could feature Rybakina and Jovic, who seeks to demonstrate her improvement after losing to Rybakina in their previous encounters last year.
In the bottom half of the draw, the competition heats up as Kostyuk and Swiatek look to outpace each other. Elise Mertens, seeded No. 7, and No. 8 seed Sorana Cirstea are among the players competing to impede their chances. Mertens’ first-round match against Leylah Fernandez has drawn attention as they have previously met on hard courts.
The potential semifinal showdown between Swiatek and Kostyuk would be their sixth career match, following their previous encounters this year, where Kostyuk won at Roland Garros, but Swiatek took the win in Toronto. The outcome could significantly influence their chances for a spot in the WTA Finals.