Paolini Faces Kalinina as Ningbo Open Ends First Round

The WTA Ningbo Open will conclude its first round with seven matches on Day 2, including an encounter between Italian sixth seed Diana Shnaider and Yulia Putintseva, as well as Jasmine Paolini's meeting with Anhelina Kalinina. The October 19, 2026, preview published by Last Word on Sports also examines Cristina Bucsa's match against Polina Kudermetova. Paolini enters the tournament looking to improve on an inconsistent season and defend the semifinal points she earned at this event.

Kalinina, meanwhile, faces questions about her fitness after retiring during the second round of qualifying before entering the main draw as a lucky loser. According to Last Word on Sports, Paolini showed encouraging form in Wuhan last week but suffered a heavy defeat against Sara Bejlek in the third round. The Italian will need a stronger performance in Ningbo as she begins her campaign at the tournament.

Kalinina's retirement during qualifying adds uncertainty to the matchup. The preview favors Paolini to advance, citing concerns about Kalinina's physical condition.

The other featured first-round matchup pits Bucsa against Kudermetova. Their head-to-head record favors Kudermetova, who won their only previous meeting and arrives after securing her main-draw place through qualifying. Last Word on Sports reports that Bucsa has lost five consecutive matches across all competitions since reaching the semifinals in Guadalajara. The Ningbo tournament marks her first appearance at the event, giving her an opportunity to end that losing streak.

Kudermetova produced two solid performances in qualifying and has shown stronger recent form than Bucsa, according to the preview. Those results and her previous victory over the Spaniard underpin the prediction in her favor. The preview predicts Kudermetova will win in three sets. Paolini is also tipped to progress against Kalinina, while Shnaider's scheduled clash with Putintseva forms another notable matchup on the seven-match slate completing the opening round.