Elena Rybakina vs Polina Kudermetova Prediction Ningbo Open - Ningbo · Oct 22, 2026

Analysis

Rybakina arrives with the heavier weapons and the better recent scalps: she came through three-setters against Sabalenka, Gauff and Zheng in September and dropped only the one match in the data, 1-2 to Charaeva on 3 October. Kudermetova, by contrast, is the one carrying tournament rhythm here, having won three straight matches in Ningbo without conceding a set, including 2-0 wins over Zakharova and Bucsa. That form is real but the level of opposition jumps sharply now, and her two previous outings against higher-calibre names ended 0-2 to Volynets and 0-2 to Andreeva. On a quick indoor-style hard court the serve becomes the deciding shot, and Rybakina's first strike is the hardest thing to handle in this match-up. Kudermetova's compact, flat baseline game can hang in rallies if the serve misfires, which is where her set chance lives, but she rarely gets free points of her own. The straight-sets route looks the most likely, with a competitive second set the main risk to it.