Ningbo Open qualifying action gets underway

The qualifying draw for the 2025 Ningbo Open has been announced, setting the stage for an exciting weekend of tennis as established names and rising stars compete for a spot in the main draw.

This year's qualifying field features 24 players competing for six main draw spots across two rounds from Oct 11 to 12.

The opening match on center court will witness an all-Australian clash between Maya Joint and three-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist Ajla Tomljanovic. China's Guo Hanyu, who received a wild card, will face the No 6 seed Polina Kudermetova in their first meeting. Guo reached the doubles final in Ningbo two years ago and is now chasing her first singles breakthrough on home soil after breaking into the world's top 200.

Later in the day, veteran Zheng Saisai will face Germany's Laura Siegemund, fresh off a career-best WTA 1000 quarterfinal in Wuhan and last year's doubles champion in Ningbo. Meanwhile, Chen Mengyi will take on the No 11 seed Kamilla Rakhimova on the grandstand court.

Other standout matches include Germany's Tatjana Maria facing former Top 30 player Aliaksandra Sasnovich, 17-year-old French Open junior champion Lilli Tagger making her China debut against Colombia's Camila Osorio, and Australia's Priscilla Hon meeting Ukraine's Yuliia Starodubtseva. The draw is also headlined by Czech talent Linda Fruhvirtova, Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva, and Italy's Lucia Bronzetti.

The main draw of the 2025 Ningbo Open is set for Oct 13 to 19 at the Ningbo (Yinzhou) Tennis Center.