The seeds are in action on Day 4 of the Ningbo Open, held on outdoor hardcourts. Since being upgraded to a WTA 500 event in 2024, the tournament has consistently drawn a strong field \u2014 and this year is no exception. With ranking points and WTA Finals spots still on the line, expect plenty of intensity and high-quality tennis as the top players look to make their mark. As always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for every match across every round.<\/p>\n
WTA Ningbo Day 4 Predictions
\nMcCartney Kessler vs Liudmila Samsonova<\/p>\n
Head-to-head: First meeting<\/p>\n
Both players play an aggressive brand of tennis that should lead to plenty of clean winners. The backhand-to-backhand exchange could prove decisive, with Liudmila Samsonova\u2019s heavier ball and ability to find pace off that wing likely to give her the edge. McCartney Kessler\u2019s shot tolerance might keep her in contention early, but Samsonova\u2019s higher peak level should see her through in the end.<\/p>\n
Prediction: Samsonova in 3<\/p>\n
Veronika Kudermetova vs Jasmine Paolini<\/p>\n
Head-to-head: Kudermetova 3-2 Paolini<\/p>\n
A classic matchup between an aggressive ball striker and a consistent baseliner, this rivalry has often tilted toward Veronika Kudermetova in the past. However, since Jasmine Paolini\u2019s resurgence in 2024, she\u2019s become far more adept at handling power players, as seen in her win over Kudermetova in Cincinnati earlier this year, a tight three-set battle. Expect another close match, but Paolini\u2019s steadier level and improved confidence in big moments should give her the slight edge.<\/p>\n
Prediction: Paolini in 3<\/p>\n
Ekaterina Alexandrova vs Yuan Yue<\/p>\n
Head-to-head: Alexandrova 1-0 Yue<\/p>\n
Ekaterina Alexandrova enters this matchup with clear advantages \u2014 she has the bigger weapons, a higher ceiling, and far more experience at this level. Still, Yuan Yue has been playing confident tennis and on home soil can keep this competitive if she starts strong. In the end, though, Alexandrova\u2019s superior power and control behind her serve and forehand should prove too much to handle.<\/p>\n
Prediction: Alexandrova in 2<\/p>\n
Dayana Yastremska vs Elena Rybakina<\/p>\n
Head-to-head: Yastremska 0-2 Rybakina<\/p>\n
Both players will look to take control of rallies early with their aggressive, flat hitting. The serve will be the key factor here. Elena Rybakina holds a clear edge in that area, with one of the most dominant deliveries on the WTA Tour. With a WTA Finals spot potentially on the line, she should stay focused and handle this tricky opener against Dayana Yastremska efficiently.<\/p>\n
Prediction: Rybakina in 2<\/p>\n
Main Photo Credit: Syndication: Desert Sun<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The seeds are in action on Day 4 of the Ningbo Open, held on outdoor hardcourts. Since being…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":228585,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[72],"tags":[108963,127813,59196,127814,108318,108319,21338,107894,51732,127815,120879,127816,71378,127817,99,428,9985,9986,53439,127818,127819,66331,66332],"class_list":{"0":"post-228584","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tennis","8":"tag-aliaksandra-sasnovich","9":"tag-aliaksandra-sasnovich-predictions","10":"tag-anna-blinkova","11":"tag-anna-blinkova-predictions","12":"tag-dayana-yastremska","13":"tag-dayana-yastremska-predictions","14":"tag-elena-rybakina","15":"tag-elena-rybakina-predictions","16":"tag-jasmine-paolini","17":"tag-jasmine-paolini-predictions","18":"tag-laura-siegemund","19":"tag-laura-siegemund-predictions","20":"tag-lucia-bronzetti","21":"tag-lucia-bronzetti-predictions","22":"tag-sports","23":"tag-tennis","24":"tag-tennis-picks","25":"tag-tennis-predictions","26":"tag-varvara-gracheva","27":"tag-varvara-gracheva-predictions","28":"tag-wta-ningbo-wta-ningbo-predictions","29":"tag-wta-picks","30":"tag-wta-predictions"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228584","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=228584"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228584\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/228585"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=228584"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=228584"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=228584"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}