Ningbo Open 2024: Anna Kalinskaya vs Yue Yuan preview, head-to-head, prediction, and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (7) Anna Kalinskaya vs Yue Yuan
Date: 17 October 2024
Tournament: Ningbo Open 2024
Round: Second Round (Round of 16)
Venue: Yinzhou Tennis Center, Ningbo, China
Category: WTA 500
Surface: Hardcourt
Prize Money: $922,573
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | India - Sony Sports Network | Canada - TSN
Anna Kalinskaya vs Yue Yuan preview
Seventh seed Anna Kalinskaya will look to get her 2024 Ningbo Open campaign underway when she takes on Yue Yuan of China in the second round. 2024 has seen Kalinskaya gradually rise in the rankings and be on the verge of breaking the top 10. The World No. 12 has a 37-18 record in the season, with finals at the Dubai Tennis Championships and the Berlin Ladies Open.
Barring the final in Dubai, Kalinskaya also reached the quarterfinal of the Australian Open, losing 7-6 (4), 3-6, 1-6 to Qinwen Zheng. At the Ningbo Open, the seventh seed started off her campaign with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Australian lucky loser, Priscilla Hon.
Yue Yuan has a 28-24 record in 2024, with the Chinese player winning her maiden career title at the ATX Open, winning 6-4, 7-6(4) against Wang Xiyu in the final. She entered the Ninbo Open on the heels of an underwhelming Asian swing, which included a second-round exit at the Korea Open, losing to Emma Raducanu, and losing to Jasmine Paolini at the Wuhan Open.
However. aside from the title in Austin at the ATX Open, Yuan has reached two other hard-court quarterfinals: the Monterrey Open (lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova), and the BNP Paribas Open (lost to Coco Gauff). She also reached the semifinal of the Hobart International, losing to Emma Navarro. At the Ningbo Openn, she opened her campaign with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Ajla Tomljanovic in the first round
Anna Kalinskaya vs Yue Yuan head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between the two players on the WTA Tour.
Anna Kalinskaya vs Yue Yuan odds
Anna Kalinskaya vs Yue Yuan prediction
Even though Anna Kalinskaya is nearing the top 10 on the rankings, she is yet to win a title on the Tour with both her finals ending in defeats this year. She has an overall 55 percent win rate on hard courts, and a 27-11 record on the surface this year. With all the top three seeds at the Ningbo Open (Jasmine Paolini, Qinwen Zheng, and Emma Navarro) withdrawing, this is a golden opportunity for the Russian to clinch her maiden title.
Before this season, Yuan had a mere 48 percent win rate on hard courts. However, the Chinese player is 23-14 on hard courts this year, winning her maiden title on the surface. The final in Austin was her second hard court final, as she also reached the final of the 2023 Korea Open, losing 2-6, 3-6 to Jessica Pegula.
While this is expected to be a closely contested matchup considering the way Yuan has performed on hard courts this season, Kalinskaya just might have the advantage going into the matchup.
Pick- Kalinskaya to win in three sets