Ningbo Open Round-Up: Sofia Kenin outclassed in 53 minutes, as Belinda Bencic delivers clean victory

The action continues in the Asian swing with the WTA 500 Ningbo Open, which began its operations this Monday, in the final part of the season. Several of the Tour's biggest stars are making their last appearances before the season ends, and Ningbo emerges as a very interesting event with up to 9 players inside the Top 20, 4 of them in the Top 10.

The first round began with an All-American duel in which McCartney Kessler defeated former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, while stars like Belinda Bencic and Diana Shnaider started their runs with wins. Ningbo is the penultimate WTA 500 event of the year and an opportunity to earn points and secure the best possible ranking position toward the end of the season.

The World No. 33 McCartney Kessler crushed her rival Sofia Kenin (No. 26) in just 53 minutes, in a notable performance on her part. The 26-year-old player was initially registered for qualifying but managed to enter the main draw at the last minute, debuting with a convincing 6-1, 6-0 victory.

It was a forgettable performance from Kenin, who only managed to defend her first service game, followed by unforced errors. Low effectiveness on serve cost her dearly. Kenin had a 73% first serve percentage but won only 29% of those points—far below Kessler's 81% effectiveness on the first serve. The former World No. 4 was not very competitive, wasting all three break opportunities she had in the match, while Kessler capitalized on 5/5 break points in her favor. The result was more than convincing, with Kessler winning 70% of the points played throughout the match and securing her passage to the second round, where she awaits the winner between Ludmila Samsonova (8th) or Hanyu Guo (Q).

Belinda Bencic returned to the courts after a solid run at the Wuhan Open—where she reached the round of 16 before falling to Iga Świątek in straight sets. The Swiss has been consistent throughout the year and has secured her place inside the Top 15 for months, although she still has chances to continue rising in the rankings and the possibility of finishing the season in the Top 10—or very close to it, looking ahead to the start of 2026.

The Swiss overcame a tough opponent like Magda Linette (No. 56) with an uncomfortable 6-3, 6-2 victory after one hour and 36 minutes. The 2020 Tokyo Olympic gold medalist had problems with double faults (6), but was imposing on serve, winning 83% of first service points, compared to Linette's 62%. Bencic showed her class and cool mind in important moments, saving 8/8 break points against her, and taking advantage of 3/5 opportunities in her favor. In the second round, she faces qualifier Yulia Starodubtseva, who defeated Yulia Putintseva (6-4, 6-2) in her debut.

Diana Shnaider fought for months to reach the Top 10, but ended up deflating with irregular results and falling in the rankings to her current No. 19. The 21-year-old Russian won the Monterrey Open title in late August, but since then had a poor 1-4 record in her subsequent tournaments. This time against local player Xiyu Wang (No. 145), she capitalized on her favoritism and took the victory in a tight duel that took nearly 2 hours to close out, 7-5, 6-3.

Shnaider overcame a difficult start—in which Wang secured two consecutive breaks and led 3-0. However, the local wildcard could not sustain her level, and Shnaider pulled off a notable comeback, despite not being very regular on serve, in a match with three breaks in favor of the Chinese player and 5 for the Russian. In the second round, Shnaider awaits the winner of the duel between Czechs Karolina Muchova and former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova.