Polina Kudermetova Upsets Defending Champion in Thrilling Three-Set WTA Final

Rising Russian talent Polina Kudermetova heads to the Jiangxi Open in Jiujiang looking to convert a year of near-misses into a statement win. The 22-year-old younger sister of world-class doubles star Veronika Kudermetova has climbed to a career-high No. 72 on the Hologic WTA Tour after reaching her maiden tour final in Brisbane and collecting 19 wins on the season. A pivotal first-round test awaits on 27 October against crafty German counter-puncher Tamara Korpatsch, a match many insiders have tagged as an early upset alert for the Jiangxi draw. Kudermetova leads their head-to-head 1-0 at tour level, winning in straight sets on hard courts last season, but Korpatsch’s heavy topspin forehand and disruptive slice backhand can pull opponents out of rhythm on the slower Jiangxi Plexipave. Season snapshot • Finalist – Brisbane 500 (January) • Round 3 – US Open (August) after pushing world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka to two tight sets • Notable top-50 wins – Linda Noskova, Sofia Kenin • 2025 record: 19-25 (18-17 on outdoor hard courts) Kudermetova’s strengths center on a fearless first-strike forehand that averaged 117 km/h winners in Beijing and a serve routinely topping 182 km/h. Her 63 % first-serve points-won rate is already inside the tour’s top 25, but the Russian has struggled to close from winning positions, dropping five matches this year after leading by a set. Coach Ravshan Sultanov has focused the fall Asian swing on point-construction and mental resets between points, an approach that paid off in Beijing when Kudermetova saved six break points to upset Maddison Inglis in round 1. Why Jiangxi matters The International-level Jiangxi Open offers 250 ranking points—enough to push Kudermetova toward a coveted year-end top-60 finish and likely main-draw status at every Slam in 2026. With no points to defend this week, a quarter-final run could lift her ranking as high as No. 64. Keys to watch vs Korpatsch 1. Forehand depth: Korpatsch excels at redirecting short balls; Kudermetova must average beyond the service line to dictate. 2. Second-serve aggression: The German wins just 39 % of second-serve points; stepping inside the baseline could tilt rallies early. 3. Emotional control: Kudermetova’s five match-tie-break losses in 2025 underline the importance of resetting after errors. Road ahead Should she advance, Kudermetova is projected to meet No. 4 seed Lin Zhu in round 2—a winnable match on paper given Zhu’s 3-7 record since Wimbledon. A deep run here would cap a breakout season that began with a surprise Brisbane final and continued with a gritty US Open showing against Sabalenka. SEO takeaway Fans searching for “Polina Kudermetova Jiujiang Open,” “Kudermetova vs Korpatsch preview,” and “Polina Kudermetova ranking” will find in this update everything from head-to-head stats to keys for victory. Keep it bookmarked as the rising Muscovite attempts to add a first WTA title to her résumé and solidify her status as one of 2025’s breakthrough stars.