Ningbo Open 2025 Day 5: Women's singles predictions ft. Elena Rybakina vs Ajla Tomljanovic, Diana Shnaider vs Zhu Lin

Day 5 (Friday, October 17) of the Ningbo Open 2025 will see the players in action for their quarterfinal matches. The final eight women are left standing, and among them are Elena Rybakina and Jasmine Paolini.

Both of them need to win their matches in order to remain in contention for a WTA Finals berth. A win will help Paolini leapfrog Mirra Andreeva in the standings, while a win for Rybakina will aid her in narrowing the gap between her and the women in front of her.

With another day of exciting matches lined up, here are the predictions for the singles matches set to take place on Day 5 of the Ningbo Open 2025:

#1. Elena Rybakina vs Ajla Tomljanovic

After a first-round bye, Rybakina fought past Dayana Yastremska in three sets to reach the quarterfinals of the Ningbo Open. Tomljanovic came through the qualifying rounds and then staged a comeback to upset fifth seed Clara Tauson in the first round. She beat Zeynep Sonmez in straight sets to make the last eight.

Tomljanovic has won back-to-back main draw matches for the first time since May. However, her run is likely to end here. Rybakina has more than thrice as many wins as the Aussie this year. Tomljanovic hasn't beaten a top 10 player since August 2022, losing her last 11 encounters against them.

Rybakina also won both of her previous matches against Tomljanovic, although this will be their first meeting on hardcourts. She will thus be the overwhelming favorite to win this showdown.

Predicted winner: Elena Rybakina to win in straight sets.

#2. Diana Shnaider vs Zhu Lin

Zhu Lin at the China Open 2025. (Photo: Getty)

Shnaider beat home favorite Wang Xiyu in straight sets to begin her Ningbo Open campaign. She then fought from a set down to beat Karolina Muchova 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 in the second round. Her record for the season now stands at 26-23.

Zhu has been on a roll at the Ningbo Open. She ousted former US Open champion Emma Raducanu in the first round, and followed it up with an upset win over top seed Mirra Andreeva. She staged a comeback in both of her matches to reach her first quarterfinal of the season. She improved her record for the year to 7-8 at the WTA level with her latest win.

Shnaider leads Zhu 2-0 in the head-to-head. The Russian beat her older rival in the final of the Hua Hin Championships 2024 to claim her maiden WTA title, their most recent tussle. She's also a former finalist at the Ningbo Open, advancing to her very first final on the main tour at the venue in 2023. Considering her record in this rivalry, Shnaider will be expected to come out on top once again.

Predicted winner: Diana Shnaider to win in three sets.

#3. Jasmine Paolini vs Belinda Bencic

Predicted winner: Jasmine Paolini to win in three sets.

#4. Ekaterina Alexandrova vs McCartney Kessler

Predicted winner: Ekaterina Alexandrova to win in straight sets.

Edited by Rohit