Winner to face Osaka or Noskova in the R16.
No. 8 seed Elena Rybakina will take on the unseeded Jaqueline Cristian of Romania in the 2025 Wuhan Open Round of 32. While the Kazakh received a bye in Round-1, Cristian overcame USA’s McCartney Kessler in a tough three set battle. The winner of this encounter will proceed to face either Naomi Osaka or Linda Noskova in the pre-quarterfinals. Continue reading to know everything about this rivalry, as well as the BetMGM best odds.
Former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina has been playing some great tennis in 2025. While her level has been very high, the Kazakh superstar has failed to find consistency and composure under pressure. She won the Internationaux de Strasbourg in May, and also reached semifinals in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Washington DC and Montreal. The 26-year-old is currently ranked No. 9 in the world, and has a success ratio of 71% in 2025. Rybakina has won 81% service games and 63.5% service points in the current season.
Subsequently, Jaqueline Cristian is the World No. 48 and top ranked player from her nation. Upon achieving her career-best Round of 32 finish at three out of the four Grand Slams in 2025, the 27-year-old was on the verge of breaking into the Top-40. Cristian captured the WTA-125 trophy in Puerto Vallarta, and finished as the runner-up at the Morocco Open. Her win-loss record currently stands at 355-255 throughout her career – which includes a solitary Top-10 win over Barbora Krejcikova.
Elena Rybakina leads the head-to-head against Jaqueline Cristian by 2-1.
The first meeting between these two WTA veterans was in 2019. Rybakina demolished her Romanian counterpart on her home soil, dropping just one game along the way. While Cristian exacted revenge three years later in Doha, the former World No. 3 regained the advantage in this heated rivalry during the Canada Open in 2025.
| Event | Round | Winner | Score |
| 2025 Montreal | Round of 32 | Elena Rybakina | 6-0 7-6(5) |
| 2022 Doha | Round of 64 | Jaqueline Cristian | 6-4 6-3 |
| 2019 Bucharest | Round of 16 | Elena Rybakina | 6-1 6-0 |
| Elena Rybakina | Category | Jaqueline Cristian |
| 9 | Current Ranking | 48 |
| 376-161 | Career W-L Record | 355-255 |
| 45-18 | YTD W-L Record | 29-22 |
| 9 | Career Titles | 0 |
| 1 | YTD Titles | 0 |
| 1 | Grand Slams | 0 |
Rybakina is the clear favorite in terms of the pre-match predictions, due to her sheer strength and accuracy. In the early stages of big tournaments, the Kazakh powerhouse normally bulldozes opponents off the court with her dominant serve and forehand. It will be interesting to see whether Cristian tries to play a patient game by slicing and changing direction, or fights fire with fire. The fourth shot in rallies will be of huge importance on Wednesday – it will determine whether or not the returner can take control of points before fatigue starts kicking in.
Prediction: Elena Rybakina in straight sets.
Rybakina (1/8) holds the edge over underdog Cristian (5/1) in the WTA Wuhan Open 2025 second round. According to the implied probability on the money line, the Kazakh powerhouse has an 83% chance of advancing to the next round. Take a look at the odds (as per BetMGM):
(According to BetMGM: BetMGM offers exclusive promo codes, bonus deals and accurate odds for users upon signing up. Use BetMGM to ace your betting game in all sports!)
(Image Credits: Mike Frey, Imagn Images)
