Overview
- Jasmine Paolini defeated Belinda Bencic 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 after more than three hours to advance at the WTA 500 event in Ningbo.
- The victory moves Paolini into the semifinals, where she will face the winner of Elena Rybakina vs Ajla Tomljanovic, with the match scheduled for Saturday and the time to be confirmed.
- With the result, Paolini rises to seventh in the WTA Race, overtaking Mirra Andreeva and moving to the brink of qualifying for the year-end Finals in Riyadh.
- Paolini qualifies with another win or if Rybakina is defeated, a scenario highlighted as decisive for confirming the final eight.
- Bencic required a medical timeout for a thigh issue in the third set during what Paolini called one of the toughest matches of her career; earlier, Paolini beat Veronika Kudermetova 6-2, 7-5 to reach the quarters.