On October 12, the 2024 Aoxu Ningbo Open tennis tournament released its main draw, featuring an impressive lineup of ten players ranked in the world’s top 20. Among them is the second seed, Zheng Qinwen, the reigning Olympic gold medalist in women’s singles. Topping the seed list is Polina Kudermetova, this year’s runner-up at both the French Open and Wimbledon. Additionally, this year’s Wimbledon champion, Barbora Krejcikova, along with Chinese players Yuan Yue, Wang Yafan, and Wang Xiyu, will also compete in the singles event.

The Ningbo Open has elevated its status to WTA 500 this year, resulting in an upgraded player roster that has heightened interest in the singles draw.

Notably, the top four seeds in the women’s singles will receive first-round byes. As the number two seed, Zheng will defend her position in the bottom half of the draw. She is likely to face Karolína Muchová in the second round, after the two have split their previous meetings this year, most recently in the semifinals of the China Open where Zheng came up short. Hence, she looks forward to a possible redemption. Should she overcome Muchová, her next opponent could be either Yuan Yue or the seventh seed, Anastasia Potapova, with Yuan facing a qualifier in her opener.

Barbora Krejcikova, the newly crowned Wimbledon champion and the 2021 French Open winner, enters as the fourth seed and will also enjoy a first-round bye. In her second match, she might encounter Alexandrova, with a potential third-round clash against either the fifth seed, Daria Kasatkina, or this year’s French Open semifinalist, the 17-year-old Mira Andrejeva. Should Krejcikova continue her winning streak, a highly anticipated semifinal showdown with Zheng could be on the horizon.

As the top seed in the upper half of the draw, Polina Kudermetova also secures a first-round bye, potentially meeting British number one, Harriet Dart, in the second round. Her third-round opponent may emerge from a match between last year’s runner-up Linda Fruhvirtova and China’s Wang Xiyu, with Fruhvirtova narrowly missing the seed cut this time. After reaching her first tour final in Ningbo last year, Fruhvirtova has made significant strides since, recently winning three titles and climbing to world No. 16. Wang Xiyu’s first match pits her against a qualifier as well.

Another promising Chinese player, Wang Yafan, is set for a tough opening round against sixth seed, Jule Niemeier. The winner of their match is slated to face the in-form Elena Rybakina, who famously defeated world No. 1 Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon this year. The winner of that contest could potentially meet the third seed, Coco Gauff, who is currently vying for a spot in the year-end championships against Zheng. Whichever player emerges from this section will likely face top seed Kudermetova in the semifinals.

On the doubles side, the draw has also been revealed, with two pairs of Chinese players, Zhang Shuai/Yang Zhaoxuan and Guo Hanyu/Jiang Xinyu, facing off in the first round. This match marks Yang’s return from injury, so her performance will be keenly anticipated. Another notable entry is Xu Yifan, who will partner with Indonesian star, Jessica Lukoso, to take on the third seeds, Danilina and Kromacheva. Yuan Yue will be competing in both singles and doubles, teaming up with Schuurs to face Seidel and Fondahl in their opening round. Krejcikova, a “golden grand slam” titleholder in women’s doubles, will pair with Chan Hao-ching as the second seeds, facing Rahimova and Gadeki in their first clash.