WTA Ningbo: Yuan Yue dominates Wang Xinyu to win the Chinese derby, Zhu Lin stages a comeback against Raducanu

On October 14th, 2025 WTA500 Ningbo tournament continued with the women's singles first round matches. In a highly anticipated Chinese derby, Yuan Yue defeated Wang Xinyu in straight sets 6-3, 6-3. Wang Xinyu suffered her fourth consecutive loss in this year’s Chinese season, failing to win any matches at the Billie Jean King Cup, China Open, Wuhan, and Ningbo events.

Yuan Yue

After the match, Yuan Yue said: “Actually, we were only one service game apart in each set. Wang Xinyu and I often practice together at the Billie Jean King Cup, so we know each other quite well. Today, I was just a bit luckier on the crucial points.” Yuan Yue will face the 4th seed Aleksandrova in the second round; they have met twice in the 2024 season, splitting the wins evenly.

Zhu Lin

Wildcard entrant Zhu Lin came back from behind to defeat former US Open champion Raducanu 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, securing a strong start. The first two sets were evenly contested, and although Raducanu experienced physical discomfort in the deciding set, she persevered to finish the match. Zhu Lin’s current ranking has risen to No.190, returning her to the Top 200 and guaranteeing her a spot in next year’s Australian Open qualifiers.

“Today was definitely a tough match, especially the first set where I didn’t get into rhythm quickly, but I kept patient to find ways to respond,” Zhu Lin said after the match. “Honestly, I had some physical issues today and wasn’t feeling very comfortable, but I pushed through. Seeing Emma also struggle physically at the end shows how tough it was. As the season wraps up, I hope everyone stays healthy.” Zhu Lin’s next opponent is top seed Andreyeva; they recently met at the China Open where Zhu Lin lost in straight sets.

In a Czech derby on the center court, Muchova defeated Vondrousova 6-4, 6-3 to advance to the second round where she will face 7th seed Schneider. This marks Vondrousova’s first tournament since the US Open, where she reached the quarterfinals by beating two Top 10 players, Paolini and Rybakina, but withdrew before her quarterfinal match against Sabalenka due to a knee injury. After the match, Muchova said: “I wasn’t happy when I saw the draw because we are good friends and train together here. She just recovered from injury, so I had some advantage, and I’m glad to win in straight sets.”

Photo of Guo Hanyu

Chinese qualifier Guo Hanyu lost 2-6, 4-6 to 8th seed Samsonova in the women’s singles first round. However, thanks to her two qualifying wins, Guo’s singles ranking has risen to No.178, securing her place in next year’s Australian Open qualifiers.

Due to physical discomfort, Chinese player Zhang Shuai withdrew from the singles event, and her spot was taken by lucky loser Ruzic, who lost 3-6, 2-6 to Kudermetova. The wildcard Chinese doubles team Wang Xiyu/Xu Yifan fell in the first round of women’s doubles, losing 3-6, 6-3, [7-10] to Samsonova/Merichar.

Australian qualifier Tomljanovic staged a comeback to defeat 5th seed Tauson 1-6, 7-6(4), 6-3, earning her first Top 20 win in three years. She will face fellow qualifier Mertens in the second round. Ukrainian player Yastremska defeated 19-year-old Canadian rising star Mboko 6-3, 7-6(3) to advance and will meet 3rd seed Rybakina next. After winning the WTA1000 Montreal title this year, Mboko is now on a four-match losing streak in singles.

Schedule for October 15th

Tomorrow’s schedule is out with the women’s singles second round and doubles first round matches starting. The 6th seed, Swiss star Bencic, will face qualifier Starodubtseva at 1 PM on the center court, followed by the match between qualifiers Tomljanovic and Mertens. The 7th seed Schneider will play Czech star Muchova as the third match on center court, and Zhu Lin will close the day against top seed Andreyeva. Wang Xinyu and Zheng Saisai will team up for the first time since Wimbledon this year, while Chinese players Guo Hanyu and Jiang Xinyu will also compete in the doubles first round.

(Text and editing by Wang Fei, photos courtesy of Visual China)