Elena RybakinavsPolina Kudermetova prediction · Ningbo Open 2026
Who will win Rybakina vs Kudermetova?
Elena Rybakina, the top seed, plays the qualifier Polina Kudermetova in the second round of the Ningbo Open on Thursday, the night match on Center Court. Our pick: Kudermetova +5.5 games; we expect Rybakina to win 6:4, 6:4.
- Predicted score
- 2:0
- Our pick
- 54–58%
- Our pick
- Polina Kudermetova +5.5 games
- Odds at publish
- 1.83
- Set by set
- 6:4, 6:4
- Not before (UK)
- 06:00
Rybakina vs Kudermetova at a glance
| Match | Elena Rybakina vs Polina Kudermetova |
|---|---|
| Tournament | WTA · Ningbo Open, Ningbo · Second round |
| Surface | Hard |
| Start | 22 OCT · 06:00 UK · 13:00 local |
| Court | Center Court · Fourth match on court, not before 7:00 PM, after Eala v Shnaider |
| Our pick | Polina Kudermetova +5.5 games · 1.83 · analysis only |
| Our estimate | 54–58% |
| Predicted score | 2:0 (6:4, 6:4) |
| Main reason | She won the US Open on 12 September, beating Aryna Sabalenka 6:4, 5:7, 6:2 in the final. |
Rybakina vs Kudermetova: recent form
Rybakina has not played since losing to Charaeva in Beijing on 3 October; Kudermetova came through qualifying and has won three straight-set matches
- Won v Shnaider D. 6-4, 6-4
- Lost to Swiatek I. 4-1 ret.
- Won v Frodin T. 6-3, 6-2
- Won v Bouzas Maneiro J. 6-2, 6-4
- Won v Starodubtseva Y. 7-6(6), 6-3
- Won v Osaka N. 6-1, 6-4
- Won v Zheng Q. 3-6, 6-1, 6-4
- Won v Gauff C. 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
- Won v Sabalenka A. 6-4, 5-7, 6-2
- Lost to Charaeva A. 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
- Lost to Wang X. 6-3, 6-2
- Lost to Fruhvirtova L. 6-1, 6-3
- Lost to Rakhimova K. 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-5
- Won v Ma Y. 6(2)-7, 6-3, 6-2
- Won v Tauson C. 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
- Lost to Andreeva M. 6-4, 6-1
- Lost to Volynets K. 6-2, 6-1
- Won v Sawangkaew M. 6-3, 6-4
- Won v Zakharova A. 6-3, 6-3
- Won v Bucsa C. 7-6(5), 6-2
Last ten results, oldest to newest; the ringed one is the latest. Tap a result for the opponent and score.
Show the matches
| Lost to | Charaeva A.Beijing · 03.10.26 | 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 |
| Won v | Sabalenka A.US Open · 12.09.26 | 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 |
| Won v | Gauff C.US Open · 11.09.26 | 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 |
| Won v | Zheng Q.US Open · 09.09.26 | 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 |
| Won v | Osaka N.US Open · 07.09.26 | 6-1, 6-4 |
| Won v | Starodubtseva Y.US Open · 06.09.26 | 7-6(6), 6-3 |
| Won v | Bouzas Maneiro J.US Open · 04.09.26 | 6-2, 6-4 |
| Won v | Frodin T.US Open · 01.09.26 | 6-3, 6-2 |
| Lost to | Swiatek I.Cincinnati WTA · 21.08.26 | 4-1 ret. |
| Won v | Shnaider D.Cincinnati WTA · 19.08.26 | 6-4, 6-4 |
| Won v | Bucsa C.Ningbo WTA · 20.10.26 | 7-6(5), 6-2 |
| Won v | Zakharova A.Ningbo WTA · 18.10.26 | 6-3, 6-3 |
| Won v | Sawangkaew M.Ningbo WTA · 17.10.26 | 6-3, 6-4 |
| Lost to | Volynets K.Wuhan · 10.10.26 | 6-2, 6-1 |
| Lost to | Andreeva M.Beijing · 04.10.26 | 6-4, 6-1 |
| Won v | Tauson C.Beijing · 02.10.26 | 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 |
| Won v | Ma Y.Beijing · 30.09.26 | 6(2)-7, 6-3, 6-2 |
| Lost to | Rakhimova K.Seoul WTA · 21.09.26 | 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-5 |
| Lost to | Fruhvirtova L.US Open · 24.08.26 | 6-1, 6-3 |
| Lost to | Wang X.Cincinnati WTA · 13.08.26 | 6-3, 6-2 |
The world number one and top seed opens her Ningbo Open in the night session against a qualifier
- Kudermetova this autumn
- She came through qualifying here, beating Manatsanun Sawangkaew 6:3, 6:4 and Anastasia Zakharova 6:3, 6:3, then Cristina Bucsa 7:6(5), 6:2 in the first round on Tuesday. In Beijing she beat Ma Yexin and Clara Tauson before losing to Mirra Andreeva 4:6, 1:6; in Wuhan qualifying she lost to Katie Volynets.
- Season and surface
- Rybakina is 49-14 this season, 36-8 on hard courts and 46-10 as a favourite. Kudermetova, ranked 105, is 40-24 this season and 16-11 on hard courts.
- Head to head
- Rybakina won their only meeting 6:4, 6:2 on grass in Berlin in June 2023.
- Rest and load
- Rybakina has had 19 days without a match. Kudermetova has played three matches and six sets in the last seven days, all of them in Ningbo, and had Wednesday off.
Rybakina has held 82.1% of her service games this season, Kudermetova 58.9%; on return they are close, 32.1% and 31.2%
| Stat | Rybakina | Kudermetova |
|---|---|---|
| Season record | 49-14 (better) | 40-24 |
| On hard courts | 36-8 (better) | 16-11 |
| Last 10 matches | 8-2 (better) | 5-5 |
| As favourite | 46-10 (better) | 28-8 |
| As underdog | 3-4 | 12-14 (better) |
| Stat | Rybakina | Kudermetova |
|---|---|---|
| Matches | 63 | 14 |
| Aces per match | 6.6 (better) | 3.1 |
| Double faults per match | 2.9 (better) | 6.9 |
| 1st serve in | 57.3% (better) | 56.6% |
| 1st serve points won | 73.9% (better) | 63.6% |
| 2nd serve points won | 51.3% (better) | 38.8% |
| Service games held | 82.1% (better) | 58.9% |
| Break points saved | 64.6% (better) | 50.0% |
| Stat | Rybakina | Kudermetova |
|---|---|---|
| Return points won | 42.3% (better) | 41.8% |
| Return games won | 32.1% (better) | 31.2% |
| Break points converted | 44.2% (better) | 40.8% |
Form rows: 2026 season to 21 October (Tennis Explorer). Serve and return: 2026 season, official WTA stats.. We read the data from Tennis Explorer, Tennis Abstract and the WTA and ATP tours, and form our own view.
Rybakina leads 1-0
| 2023 | RybakinaBerlin · Grass · R32 | 6-4 6-2 |
Rybakina vs Kudermetova predicted score
Rybakina in two sets, by four or five games
Rybakina's serve should carry her: she has held 82.1% of her service games this season and hit 6.6 aces a match. But on return the two are close, 32.1% of return games won for Rybakina and 31.2% for Kudermetova, and after 19 days off with a sore foot we expect fewer breaks than usual. One break a set gives 6:4, 6:4, a four-game margin, and Kudermetova +5.5 wins; 7:5, 6:3 wins it too. A Kudermetova set also wins it. The handicap loses if Rybakina is at full strength from the first game, 6:2, 6:3 or better.
- Predicted score
- 2:0
- 6:4, 6:4
- Alternative
- 2:0
- 6:2, 6:3
Our Rybakina vs Kudermetova pick: Polina Kudermetova +5.5 games
Kudermetova +5.5 games
Rybakina's first match since withdrawing from Wuhan can go either way: a sharp 6:2, 6:3 or a rusty, tight two-setter. We are not sure enough of the margin to stake on it.
- Our scenario
- 6:4, 6:42:0 in sets
- Alternative
- 6:2, 6:32:0 in sets
What would change our mind News that Rybakina is fully fit after the break, or clear signs in the first games that she moves freely.
What could beat our pick?
- Rybakina won the US Open five weeks ago; at full strength 6:2, 6:2 is a normal score for her against a player ranked 105.
- Kudermetova has held only 58.9% of her service games this season and averages 6.9 double faults a match in her WTA matches.
- In her last two tour matches before Ningbo, Kudermetova won seven and five games, and the only meeting ended 6:4, 6:2 to Rybakina, a six-game margin.