The 2024 Ningbo Open runs from October 14th to 20th, and the entry list for the WTA 500 tournament has been unveiled.
When the Ningbo Open was first played in 2010, it was an ITF event. In 2013 and 2014, it was upgraded to WTA 125 status. Bojana Jovanovski and Magda Linette won the title during those two years.
The event was not held from 2015 until 2022. It is unclear whether there were plans to bring it back earlier if the COVID-19 pandemic had not canceled all Asian tournaments from 2020 until 2022.
When the Asian swing returned in 2023, the Ningbo Open was upgraded to WTA 250 status. Ons Jabeur defeated Diana Shnaider in the final, the Tunisian's only notable success since her brutal Wimbledon final defeat last year.
This year's Ningbo Open promises to be the best yet. It has been upgraded once again to WTA 500 status, meaning more high-caliber players are on the entry list for the tournament in East China.
Four Grand Slam singles finalists are on the entry list for the Ningbo Open, which should generate the excitement needed to make the 2024 iteration the best-attended tournament in its history.
Another factor attracting interest is the race to make the year-end WTA Finals. Some players on the entry list are currently attempting to book their places in Riyadh for the event.
Jasmine Paolini is set to be the top seed in Ningbo. The Italian, who reached the French Open and Wimbledon finals this year, is fourth in the race for the WTA Finals and is close to booking her place in Riyadh. She may have sealed her spot by the time the Ningbo Open begins.
Greek No. 1 Maria Sakkari is also on the entry list. Hopefully, she will be fit to play. Sakkari had to withdraw from the Guadalajara Open with a shoulder injury and was unable to defend her title as a result.
A deep run at the Ningbo Open could be the difference between Danielle Collins making or missing the WTA Finals. The American is one place below her compatriot Emma Navarro, who holds the final qualifying spot.
Collins, who refused a ceremony at her final US Open, would have been in the last qualifying spot under the previous rules, but the WTA changed them to guarantee Grand Slam winners inside the Top 20 would qualify. That leaves Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova in pole position to qualify.
2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko also has an outside chance of qualifying for the WTA Finals. However, the Latvian will need strong results to remain in contention by the time the Ningbo Open starts.
Paula Badosa, Diana Shnaider, and Amanda Anisimova are other exciting players on the entry list. Badosa has been playing her best tennis since returning from a long injury, recently reaching the US Open quarterfinals.
The 20-year-old Shnaider has won three titles during her breakthrough 2024 season, while Anisimova made her first WTA-1000 final last month at the Canadian Open, falling to Jessica Pegula in the final. The entry list for the 2024 Ningbo Open can be seen below.
2024 Ningbo Open WTA Players' Entry List:
| Seed | Player |
|---|---|
| 1 | Jasmine Paolini |
| 2 | Maria Sakkari |
| 3 | Jelena Ostapenko |
| 4 | Danielle Collins |
| 5 | Diana Shnaider |
| 6 | Paula Badosa |
| 7 | Yue Yuan |
| 8 | Lulu Sun |
| Magda Linette | |
| Veronika Kudermetova | |
| Amanda Anisimova | |
| Elina Avanesyan | |
| Xiyu Wang | |
| Sofia Kenin |
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