Unseeded Katie Boulter faces qualifier Sam Errani in the first round of the Ningbo Open. The winner will meet sixth seed Beatriz Haddad Maia in the next round.
Boulter is currently ranked 35th in the world, having reached a career-high of 27th five months ago. In the live rankings, she is 33rd and two places higher in the WTA Race. She seeks to regain form after a disappointing streak, with only one win in her last four matches. Her latest tournament was the Wuhan Open, where she lost to qualifier Lesia Tsurenko in the first round.
Boulter has won two WTA titles this year, including the hard-court San Diego Open in March. She has faced Errani once before, winning in straight sets at the Indian Wells tournament two years ago.
Sam Errani ranks 90th and had to qualify for the main draw, winning two matches but needing a final set to defeat Ma Yexin in the qualifiers. Errani has recently dropped in form, having lost to then world number 260 En-Shou Liang before reaching the last 32 at the US Open. She has only won two of her last nine matches, both at the US Open.
We predict Boulter will win this match in straight sets.