Paolini Battles Past Bencic to Reach Ningbo Open Semifinals

No. 2 seed Jasmine Paolini of Italy survived a three-hour thriller Friday, rallying for a 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 victory over sixth-seeded Belinda Bencic of Switzerland to advance to the Ningbo Open semifinals in China.

Paolini turned the match around by securing service breaks in the 10th and final games of the second set, clawing back momentum before closing strong in the decider. She saved 14 of 20 break points across the marathon, which lasted three hours and 22 minutes.

The Italian now moves on to face No. 3 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, who dominated Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia 6-2, 6-0 in just 57 minutes. The other semifinal will feature an all-Russian clash between No. 4 Ekaterina Alexandrova and No. 7 Diana Shnaider. Alexandrova handled McCartney Kessler 6-3, 6-3, while Shnaider stormed back for a 2-6, 6-3, 6-1 win over China’s Lin Zhu.

With Paolini and Rybakina in top form, the stage is set for a high-stakes semifinal round. Bettors and fans can review player stats, surfaces, and matchup data in Sportshub’s Tennis Picks and Tennis Odds pages to track updated market moves.

Osaka Withdraws as Cristian, Fernandez Advance at Japan Open

Home favorite Naomi Osaka withdrew from her quarterfinal match in Osaka due to a left-thigh injury, granting Jaqueline Cristian of Romania a walkover into the semifinals at the Japan Open.

Osaka suffered the injury during her three-set second-round win over Suzan Lamens of the Netherlands. The four-time Grand Slam champion was making her first WTA Tour appearance in Japan since 2022.

Cristian will now meet Tereza Valentova, the 18-year-old Czech who rallied past No. 6 seed Olga Danilovic 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. The second semifinal will feature No. 4 Leylah Fernandez of Canada against Romania’s Sorana Cirstea. Fernandez powered through Rebecca Sramkova 7-6 (2), 6-3, while Cirstea outlasted Viktorija Golubic 6-2, 2-6, 6-2.

For those following player trends and betting lines ahead of semifinal weekend, Sportshub’s Expert Tennis Betting Guide breaks down historical performance patterns, surface advantages, and live updates from the Asian swing.