WTA Finals race heats up as Paolini overcomes Bencic to book Ningbo semis berth vs Rybakina

Italian second seed Jasmine Paolini kept her hopes of qualifying for the WTA Finals alive with a gritty comeback win over Belinda Bencic, beating Switzerland’s Tokyo Olympic gold medallist 5-7 7-5 6-3 in the Ningbo Open quarter-finals on Friday.

Paolini will face third-seed Elena Rybakina in the semis, after the Russian-born Kazakh took less than an hour to beat Ajla Tomljanovic 6-2 6-0 later in the day. Twice Grand Slam finalist Paolini needs a win over Rybakina in the last four to qualify for next month’s WTA Finals in Riyadh.

The contest against Bencic at the WTA 500 hardcourt tournament, which lasted a marathon three hours and 22 minutes, marked the longest match of Paolini’s season.

Bencic, 28, served for the match at 5-4 in the second set but was unable to close it out. Her momentum was further interrupted in the deciding set when she took a medical time-out due to a thigh issue while trailing 4-3.

“One of the toughest I ever played, honestly,” Paolini, who was the runner-up at last year’s French Open and Wimbledon, said. “Belinda, she’s an amazing player and a very good person. Today she deserved to win as well, so it was really tough.

“I’m happy I stayed there, because at the beginning I had too many mistakes. I couldn’t find my best tennis, but then I just tried to stay there every point and turn the match somehow.”

Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys have all qualified for the season-ending championship of the WTA Tour in Riyadh, with two spots still up for grabs.

RYBAKINA EASES PAST TOMLJANOVIC: Rybakina also remained in contention for a place at the WTA Finals, as she landed seven aces while a struggling Tomljanovic made nine double faults.

Former Wimbledon champion Rybakina has now won 50 matches on the tour this year and qualified for seven semi-finals.

“Of course it would be nice to qualify (for the WTA Finals). But I know for this I still need to win a lot of matches. Not only here, but also next week,” Rybakina said.

“Today I think I served well. It’s not easy to play Ajla. Today a lot of things went my way. Also some lines which I caught. Overall, happy I won in straight sets. Looking forward to tomorrow.”

Fourth seed Ekaterina Alexandrova brushed aside American McCartney Kessler 6-3 6-3 to set up a last-four clash with fellow Russian and seventh seed Diana Shnaider, who beat local favourite Zhu Lin 2-6 6-3 6-1 later on Friday.

Osaka joins growing casualty list: Naomi Osaka became the latest player to suffer injury towards the end of a gruelling season after the four-times Grand Slam champion pulled out of her Japan Open quarter-final against Jaqueline Cristian on Friday with a leg injury.

Several players have ended their seasons early amid health and fitness struggles in the ongoing Asian swing of tournaments, including Emma Raducanu, Daria Kasatkina, Elina Svitolina and Paula Badosa.

The men’s and women’s circuits, which run across 11 months with extended formats at several tournaments, have come under a harsh spotlight during recent events in Asia with the heat and humidity contributing to a spate of injuries and withdrawals.

The Japanese 28-year-old, the top seed at the WTA 250 event in Osaka, sustained the injury against defending champion Suzan Lamens on Wednesday, having to get her thigh strapped as she battled to a 7-6(6) 3-6 6-2 victory.

“Naomi Osaka has not recovered from a left leg injury sustained during the second round of this tournament and has withdrawn from the quarter-finals scheduled for today,” organisers said on social media.

The world number 16 has enjoyed an encouraging season after returning to the tour in 2024 following a maternity break but the injury casts doubts over her participation in the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo later this month.

Reuters