The Asian swing on the WTA Tour continues with the 2024 Ningbo Open, and there is a superb draw for the event.
The 2024 Ningbo Open is the first time the tournament is played with WTA 500 status. It started as an ITF and a WTA 125K event until 2014 before not being played from 2015 until 2022.
Ons Jabeur won the tournament last year when it returned as a WTA 250 tournament. In the final, she overcame the young star Diana Shnaider to win her only title since being the 2023 Wimbledon runner-up.
The Ningbo Open's upgrade to the WTA 500 level means there is a superb draw. It is undoubtedly one of the strongest line-ups for a 500 tournament seen throughout the WTA season.
Jasmine Paolini is the No. 1 seed at the 2024 Ningbo Open. This year's French Open and Wimbledon runner-up reached the quarterfinal of the final WTA 1000 event of the season in Wuhan, losing to the home favorite Qinwen Zheng.
The Italian can play with some freedom in Ningbo after becoming one of four players to qualify for the WTA Finals. Her two Grand Slam finals and WTA 1000 title run in Dubai are the principal reasons for that achievement.
Paolini, who receives a bye in the opening round as one of the Top 4 seeds, could face Paula Badosa in the quarterfinal. The Spaniard is set to return after pulling out of the Wuhan Open, citing an illness as the reason.
Some feel the accusations of racism made against Badosa were the actual reason for her withdrawal, but it is impossible to know for sure. The 26-year-old starts her tournament with a very difficult first-round match against last year's runner-up Shnaider.
Emma Navarro receives a bye in the other quarter in the top half. This year's US Open semifinalist is in the same quarter as Beatriz Haddad Maia, who won the Korea Open during the opening week of the Asian swing.
Navarro desperately needs a deep run in Ningbo to keep her hopes of qualifying for the WTA Finals alive. She had occupied the final qualifying spot but has been overtaken by Zheng after her runs to the China Open semifinal and Wuhan Open final.
Zheng is the No. 2 seed in the bottom half of the draw. There could be a repeat of the China Open semifinal if Karolina Muchova defeats a qualifier to set up a meeting with Zheng in the round of 16.
Anna Kalinskaya is the other seeded player in Zheng's quarter. The Dubai Championships runner-up has struggled to find her best tennis recently, but the 25-year-old's talent always makes her capable of a deep run.
Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova receives a bye as the No. 4 seed. She also booked her spot at the WTA Finals during the Asian swing due to being a Grand Slam champion and one of the Top 20 for 2024.
Teenage prodigy Mirra Andreeva, who lost to her sister Erika last week in Wuhan, and Daria Kasatkina are possible quarterfinal opponents for Krejcikova.
2024 Ningbo Open WTA Draw:
| Player 1 | Player 2 |
|---|---|
| Jasmine Paolini [1] | BYE |
| Katie Boulter | Qualifier/LL |
| Xiyu Wang | Qualifier/LL |
| Diana Shnaider | Paula Badosa [8] |
| Emma Navarro [3] | BYE |
| Katerina Siniakova | Magda Linette |
| Caroline Dolehide | Yulia Putintseva |
| Yafan Wang | Beatriz Haddad Maia [6] |
| Daria Kasatkina [5] | Qualifier/LL |
| Mirra Andreeva | Qualifier/LL |
| Ekaterina Alexandrova | Qualifier/LL |
| BYE | Barbora Krejcikova [4] |
| Anna Kalinskaya [7] | Anastasia Potapova |
| Yue Yuan | Qualifier/LL |
| Karolina Muchova | Qualifier/LL |
| BYE | Qinwen Zheng [2] |
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