Ningbo Tennis Open- Yuan Yue passes the first round, Kasakina will face Putintseva

On October 16, 2024, the 2024 Aux Group Ningbo Tennis Open saw the conclusion of its third day of main draw competition. Chinese player Yuan Yue and former French Open finalist Marketa Vondrousova both breezed through the first round. In the second round of singles, notable players such as Daria Kasatkina, Elena Rybakina, and Mira Andrejeva each triumphed over their respective opponents, advancing to the quarterfinals.

Yuan Yue faced Ajla Tomljanovic, a three-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist, for her opening match. After two days of rain delays, they finally resumed play. On the first day, Yuan clinched the first set 6-4, and on the next day, she maintained her momentum, winning the second set 6-2 for a convincing victory. In another first-round matchup, Vondrousova defeated qualifier Vira Gedek for her first win in Ningbo, with a score of 6-3, 7-5. She is set to compete against Romanian player Miriam Cristian in the next round.

Yuan shared her thoughts after the match, stating, “Tennis has many uncertainties, especially when played outdoors with wind and rain. However, everyone faces the same challenges. This is part of being a professional player, and it’s something we all have to go through—it’s just the nature of the sport.” She will next face seventh seed Anna Kalinskaya.

Having participated in Ningbo for two consecutive years, Yuan reflected on her personal growth over the past year: “I’ve become more at peace with myself. Whether things go well or not, it’s all a part of life. What matters is to focus on what I do each day, rather than just one particular day.”

In addition to the rescheduled first-round matches, the second round of singles got underway. In one of the key matches, fifth seed Kasatkina fought through three sets to earn a comeback victory against Czech player Barbora Strycova, the mixed doubles gold medalist from the Paris Olympics, with a score of 1-6, 6-3, 6-2.

“This was a tough match, but I’m glad that I was able to fight back after losing the first set. The start of the second set was crucial – it was the turning point of the match. I’m really happy that I didn’t give up; that’s the best part of tonight,” Kasatkina remarked. Next, she will face Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina, who won her match against Germany’s Julia Seidel in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4.

Meanwhile, 17-year-old Mira Andrejeva continued her impressive form by defeating Germany’s Koppach 6-0, 6-4, marking her second straight match with a 6-0 scoreline. Her next opponent will be determined from the match between May Chen and recent Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova. Lastly, Chinese player Wang Xiyu faced a tough challenge and was reversed by Paula Badosa, losing the match 7-6, 1-6, 2-6, thus missing out on the quarterfinals.

In doubles, the third-seeded pair of Daniilina and Karol Macha withdrew, allowing Chinese player Xu Yifan and Indonesia’s Sylvia Sujati to advance to the quarterfinals without a match. They will face the duo of Yang Zhaoxuan and Zhang Shuai in the next round. Krejcikova and her partner Chan Hao-Ching defeated Gedek and Rashimova 6-4, 6-2, and will compete against Yuan Yue and Desirae Krawczyk in the quarterfinals.