Women's main draw play at the 2025 Ningbo Open 2025 Japan Open will begin Monday, Oct. 13. Ningbo is a WTA 500 level event, while the Japan Open is a WTA 250 event. These outdoor hard-court tournaments both have 32-player draws (28 for Ningbo with byes for the top four seeds) and feature numerous women's tennis stars, with eight top-20 players in the Ningbo Open draw and two playing in the Japan Open. Below are the top title contenders and dark horses for the 2025 Ningbo Open and Japan Open
Favorite to Win the 2025 Ningbo Open
Mirra Andreeva: The top-seeded Russian has had an underwhelming Asian swing, but Andreeva is the world No. 5 for a reason. The talented 18-year-old has won two hard-court WTA 1000 events in 2025, and she has a favorable draw in the same half as No. 4 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova while the two other main Ningbo Open title contenders landed in the other half. After a bye into the Round of 16, Andreeva could face Emma Raducanu in her first match, with seventh-seeded doubles partner Diana Shnaider representing Mirra's chalk quarterfinal opponent. Andreeva's mix of variety and athleticism is arguably unmatched on the WTA Tour, but she's still learning how to cut out distractions and avoid rough patches in matches, which is why she isn't a significant favorite in a talented Ningbo Open field.
In the Mix to Win the 2025 Ningbo Open
Jasmine Paolini: Paolini's coming off a strong performance at
Women's main draw play at the 2025 Ningbo Open 2025 Japan Open will begin Monday, Oct. 13. Ningbo is a WTA 500 level event, while the Japan Open is a WTA 250 event. These outdoor hard-court tournaments both have 32-player draws (28 for Ningbo with byes for the top four seeds) and feature numerous women's tennis stars, with eight top-20 players in the Ningbo Open draw and two playing in the Japan Open. Below are the top title contenders and dark horses for the 2025 Ningbo Open and Japan Open
Favorite to Win the 2025 Ningbo Open
Mirra Andreeva: The top-seeded Russian has had an underwhelming Asian swing, but Andreeva is the world No. 5 for a reason. The talented 18-year-old has won two hard-court WTA 1000 events in 2025, and she has a favorable draw in the same half as No. 4 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova while the two other main Ningbo Open title contenders landed in the other half. After a bye into the Round of 16, Andreeva could face Emma Raducanu in her first match, with seventh-seeded doubles partner Diana Shnaider representing Mirra's chalk quarterfinal opponent. Andreeva's mix of variety and athleticism is arguably unmatched on the WTA Tour, but she's still learning how to cut out distractions and avoid rough patches in matches, which is why she isn't a significant favorite in a talented Ningbo Open field.
In the Mix to Win the 2025 Ningbo Open
Jasmine Paolini: Paolini's coming off a strong performance at the Wuhan Open, where she defeated Iga Swiatek en route to the semifinals. The No. 2 seed at the Ningbo Open has a clear path to the semifinals, with No. 6 seed Belinda Bencic as Paolini's toughest potential obstacle. Things get much tougher after that, though, as Paolini could face a pair of fellow top-10 players back-to-back in Elena Rybakina and Andreeva. Despite Rybakina being the far bigger hitter, Paolini has enjoyed a 3-2 edge in their head-to-head, including 2-0 on hard courts.
Elena Rybakina: Rybakina has by far the toughest path of the three top contenders. She could face Canadian Open champion Victoria Mboko in the Round of 16, and chalk quarterfinal opponent Clara Tauson defeated Rybakina at Wimbledon this year. The big-serving Rybakina can beat anyone when she's on her game, but she lacks alternative options besides the Plan A of attempting to overpower opponents. She's 2-3 against Paolini and 1-2 against Andreeva, both of whom have more variety.
Sleepers to Win the 2025 Ningbo Open
Marketa Vondrousova: Vondrousova's set for her first tournament action since the U.S. Open, where she was playing fantastic tennis prior to withdrawing due to a knee injury ahead of a quarterfinal matchup against Aryna Sabalenka. Vondrousova beat both Paolini and Rybakina in New York, but she lands on the opposite half of the draw from them. The crafty Czech will need to shake off the rust quickly given her tough first-round draw against compatriot Karolina Muchova, but if Vondrousova can find her pre-injury form, she's capable of taking out Andreeva in the quarterfinals and flourishing from there.
Victoria Mboko: Mboko showcased her high ceiling at the Canadian Open, where the athletic 19-year-old rode the crowd support to a hard-court WTA 1000 title. She has dropped three straight matches since then but has a nice opportunity to regain her confidence here. If Mboko gets past error-prone Dayana Yastremska in the first round, the 24th-ranked Canadian would face Rybakina, whom Mboko defeated in Montreal.
Favorite to Win the 2025 Japan Open
Naomi Osaka: Osaka has played some strong tennis down the stretch in 2025 under new coach Tomasz Wiktorowski, reaching the Canadian Open final and U.S. Open semifinals. She'll be highly motivated to win as the clear title favorite in her home country, and this tournament is on Osaka's best surface, as all four of her career Grand Slam titles have come on hard courts. Osaka's the No. 1 seed at the Japan Open by virtue of her No. 16 ranking. She's one of the best servers on the WTA Tour and has tremendous power off the ground to back it up. There are only two other top-25 players in the Japan Open draw, Elise Mertens and Linda Noskova, whom Osaka could face in the semifinals and final, respectively.
In the Mix to Win the 2025 Japan Open
Linda Noskova: Noskova's ranked No. 17, just one spot behind Osaka. The 20-year-old Czech has plenty of power off the ground and can go toe to toe with anyone on her best days but could stand to improve her consistency from match to match. She could face a first-round test against big-hitting Brit Katie Boulter, but Noskova's draw otherwise looks decent, as she should be comfortably favored in every match prior to the final. The other seeds in her half of the draw are No. 4 seed Leylah Fernandez, fifth-seeded potential quarterfinal opponent Marie Bouzkova, and No. 7 seed Ann Li.
Elise Mertens: Mertens rarely loses to players she should beat but struggles to hang with the game's elites. Luckily for the third-seeded Belgian, there aren't really any players that outclass her in a Japan Open draw without a top-15 player. Mertens is a respectable 3-4 against Osaka and has never faced Noskova. As long as Mertens has recovered from the back injury that forced her to withdraw during the Wuhan Open, the 21st-ranked Belgian could make a push for her third singles title of 2025 while utilizing her well-rounded game and excellent feel at net.
Sleepers to Win the 2025 Japan Open
Jessica Bouzas Maneiro: Bouzas Maneiro has quietly played at a borderline top-20 level since May. The 23-year-old Spaniard has won multiple matches in six of her last 10 tournaments while reaching the quarterfinals of the Canadian Open and Round of 16 at both Wimbledon and Cincinnati over that span. She snuck into the seeded range at the Japan Open, simplifying Bouzas Maneiro's early draw, but the No. 8 seed projects to meet Osaka in the quarterfinals. That would be an interesting clash of styles between Osaka's power and Bouzas Maneiro's consistency off the ground.
Alexandra Eala: Like many young players, Eala's still trying to improve the consistency of her results. The 20-year-old Filipina has demonstrated a high ceiling when her game is clicking this year, making a run to the Miami Open semifinals, reaching a WTA 250 final in Eastbourne and taking home a WTA 125 title in Guadalajara. Two of those three results have come on hard courts, which have been Eala's best surface in her young career. Eala has proven capable of catching fire, but she'll need to get hot early to make a deep run at the Japan Open, with Mertens looming in the second round.
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