Tennis lovers are hyped for this season’s WTA Finals as the year-end battle will see the eight best female athletes fighting it out for the ultimate crown. While six positions have been locked, two are yet to be decided. Among those competing for the remaining spots are Italian WTA pro and two-time slam finalist Jasmine Paolini and teenage sensation Mirra Andreeva. Just weeks ahead of the prestigious event, however, the picture is getting somewhat clear on who will make it to the final lineup, thanks to an interesting update from Ningbo.

On Thursday, Paolini took one step further to lock her place among the WTA Finals’ contenders. In the opening round at the Ningbo Open, she bested Russian pro Veronika Kudermetova in straight sets. It took just an hour and 29 minutes for the World No.8 to edge her out with a score line of 6-2, 7-5.

Even Paolini knows how crucial this win may prove to be for her. During the post-match interview, she confessed to thinking of the qualification.

“It’s something that’s obviously in my head.” However, she is not trying to get ahead of herself. The Italian is trying “to hide it and stay focused on tennis and on what I need to do to play the best I possibly can.” Being confident of her form, she emphasized that “I’m here to try to qualify.”

Now, Paolini’s honest confession might leave another likely contender’s chances in jeopardy. Teenage sensation and this year’s two-time WTA 1000 champion Mirra Andreeva is also in contention of making it to Riyadh. Unfortunately, her path has been blocked by a sudden exit in Ningbo.

Andreeva is currently in the 7th position in the live rankings. She has 4,319 ranking points. In order to stay ahead of Paolini, who is in the 8th spot with 4,131 points, she needed to make a deep run at the WTA 500 tournament this week. Unfortunately, she lost her first-round match against China’s Zhu Lin on Wednesday. With Paolini still remaining in the event, there are strong chances of her to overtake Andreeva in ranking points eventually and snatch the seventh position.

Jasmine Paolini looks to make a deep impact in Ningbo

Before looking forward to Riyadh, Jasmine Paolini will have to create a solid impression in Ningbo. Considering her recent form after the US Open, it appears to be a possibility as well.

In her last two campaigns (China Open and Wuhan Open), Paolini succeeded in reaching the quarterfinal and then semis, respectively. Interestingly, she has made it to her third-straight quarterfinal round with the R16 win against Kudermetova. “I managed to stay there every point, stay focused, and try to find solutions,” she briefly spoke of her performance.

Up next, however, the World No.8 will have to stay cautious. That’s because she will be going against a formidable opponent in Belinda Bencic. The latter is coming off her two-straight victories in the event. In her opening clash, she bested Magda Linette in straight sets. Then in the R16, she edged out Ukraine’s Yuliia Starodubtseva. Despite trailing in the first set, Bencic came back strongly and snatched the win in a thrilling decider.

Speaking of the upcoming matchup, Bencic is having a slight advantage. She is leading the H2H tally 2-1 against Paolini. However, the latter can still feel confident considering that she emerged victorious in their last meeting.

Back in January, during the United Cup, Paolini outperformed Bencic with a brutal score line of 6-1, 6-1. It will be intriguing to see whether the Italian pro can clear this hurdle and keep her campaign alive in order to stay in the WTA Finals race.