World No 1 Elena Rybakina is set to headline the Ningbo Open, but there are still doubts over her participation while Iga Swiatek will look to keep her WTA Finals hopes alive.

The WTA 500 tournament will run from 19 to 25 October at the outdoor courts at Yinzhou Tennis Center in China and five players inside the top 10 of the WTA Rankings have signed up.

Rybakina is the defending champion as she defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova in three sets in the 2025 final, but it remains to be seen if she will defend her title as she is struggling with a foot injury with the problem forcing her to miss this week’s Wuhan Open.

Swiatek, meanwhile, has moved up to No 9 in the WTA Finals Race To Indian Wells after reaching the quarter-final in Wuhan and a title run at the WTA 1000 event could see her move ahead of Karolina Muchova.

How Many Players Will Feature In Ningbo

The Chinese event is a 28-player singles main draw tournament with four players receiving wildcards, six earning their spot through the qualifying competitions and the rest via their position in the rankings.

The top eight players in the rankings at the time of the main draw will be seeded, but only the top four will receive byes into the second round.

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As things stand, Rybakina, Jessica Pegula (No 4), Elina Svitolina (No 6) and Iga Swiatek (No 9) are the top four while Marta Kostyuk (No 10), Iva Jovic (No 11), Belinda Bencic (No 12) and Diana Shnaider (No 13) are the other four seeds.

Rising star Alex Eala is also in the line-up, but she just missed the seeding cut as she sits at No 19 in the official rankings.

The four wildcards are still to be confirmed.

When Is The Ningbo Open Draw?

With the first-round matches set to get underway on Monday, 19 October, the main draw is expected to be completed on Saturday, 17 October.

Prize And Points Available At China Event

The prize money for the WTA 500 tournament was $1,064,510 in 2025, but it has increased to $1,206,446 for this year. Last year, Rybakina walked away with a cheque of $164,000 and Alexandrova received $101,000, but those totals will be bumped up to $185,500 and $114,500, respectively.

Full 2026 prize money breakdown
First round: 1 point | $12,700
Second round: 60 points | $17,795
Quarter-finals: 108 points | $33,475
Semi-finals: 195 points | $66,003
Finalist: 325 points | $114,500
Winner: 500 points | $185,500

WTA 500 Ningbo Open Entry List

1. Elena Rybakina
2. Jessica Pegula
3. Elina Svitolina
4. Iga Swiatek
5. Marta Kostyuk
6. Iva Jovic
7 Belind Bencic
8. Diana Shnaider

Sorana Cirstea
Alexandra Eala
Elise Mertens
Jasmine Paolini
Maja Chwalinska
Marie Bouzkova
Ekaterina Alexandrova
Sara Bejlek
Diane Parry
TBC

Wildcard
Wildcard
Wildcard
Wildcard

Qualifier
Qualifier
Qualifier
Qualifier
Qualifier
Qulaifier