Paolini Faces Kalinina in WTA Ningbo Round of 32

Jasmine Paolini will face Anhelina Kalinina in the round of 32 at the 2026 WTA Ningbo tournament in China on Tuesday, October 20, as both players seek to recover from inconsistent results. A Stats Insider computer model gives the Italian a 63% chance of winning after 10,000 simulations, while recent performances and hard-court records provide additional context for the matchup.

According to Stats Insider, Paolini enters the contest after losing to Sonay Kartal 6-2, 6-0 at the Wuhan Open. The Australian outlet reported that Paolini had lost three of her previous five matches, while Kalinina had recorded one win and four losses over the same period.

Last Word on Sports also highlighted Kalinina's difficulties on hard courts, where she held a 5-8 record in 2026. The publication viewed Paolini as the stronger choice based on the players' recent form and surface records, despite the Italian's heavy defeat in Wuhan.

The match is scheduled for approximately 6 p.m. Australian Eastern Daylight Time on October 20. The contest is part of the Ningbo tournament's round of 32, as the WTA Tour continues its late-season swing through China.

The Ningbo event follows tournaments in Beijing and Wuhan, extending the WTA Tour's run in China into a fourth consecutive week. Last Word on Sports described Ningbo as a 500-point tournament following the two 1,000-point events, noting that players who exited earlier in Beijing or Wuhan could remain in the country for another opportunity to improve their results.

Paolini's recent Wuhan campaign also drew attention because of her doubles partnership with Sara Errani. EssentiallySports reported that the Italian pair lost their semifinal against Storm Hunter and Katerina Siniakova after surrendering a substantial advantage in the deciding match tiebreak.

Paolini and Errani led 9-4 in the tiebreak, leaving them one point from victory, but Hunter and Siniakova saved five consecutive match points to level the score at 9-9. The Italian pair won the following point to create another match point at 10-9.

Errani then attempted an underarm serve, but Siniakova returned it effectively and Hunter finished the point at the net. On the next point, Errani and Paolini adopted an unusual return formation with both players on the same side of the court, and Hunter responded with a winner against Errani's conventional serve. Hunter and Siniakova ultimately secured the match 12-10 in the deciding tiebreak.

The underarm serve drew criticism from tennis fans on social media, according to EssentiallySports. One commenter questioned the Italian's serving ability, saying, "How can a PROFESSIONAL tennis player have such a bad serve? I just don't get it," while another criticized her performance throughout the match.

Another fan wrote, "She can’t serve at all did it all throughout the match," according to EssentiallySports. A separate commenter joked about Paolini's reaction, saying, "Paolini be like: Errani needs a serve lesson y’all."

One more reaction questioned the timing of Errani's decision: "Serving underhand for what ? Lol I know Paolini was pi–ed." Another commenter highlighted the contrast between her serve and her doubles achievements, writing, "It’s amazing she is one of the best in doubles with that serve."

Errani has previously used an underarm serve on match point in a successful doubles match with Paolini. EssentiallySports reported that the pair employed the tactic against Katarzyna Kawa and Iga Swiatek in the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup semifinal and went on to win the match.

Despite the criticism of her serving, Errani has accumulated 36 career titles, including six Grand Slam titles and an Olympic gold medal. The former world No. 5 also won nine singles titles from 19 Tour-level finals and reached the 2012 French Open final, according to EssentiallySports.