Chinese seventh seed Zheng Qinwen's much-anticipated return at the China Open ended abruptly on Monday, as the 22-year-old retired midway through her third-round match against Czech No. 26 seed Linda Noskova, trailing 3-0 in the deciding set.
Zheng, back on court for the first time since undergoing right elbow surgery in July, showed flashes of her trademark power early on. After losing the opening set 6-4 — despite scrambling for two breaks — she bounced back in the second, dominating with an improved serve and breaking in the sixth game. A commanding love game sealed a 6-3 win to level the match.
However, the third set proved too taxing. Zheng conceded her first service game and, at 0-3 down, made the tough decision to withdraw. Her exit marks the end of the host nation's singles campaign at this year's event in Beijing.
"I didn't finish the match tonight," Zheng said. "I'm really sorry because I always say I want to stand till the end. But after my first career surgery, I'm taking a conservative approach. We'll review the impact with my team and decide on the next steps."
The result hands Noskova a place in the round of 16, where she'll meet Russia's Anastasia Potapova. For Zheng, the focus now shifts to rehabilitation and planning her return to the tour.
Reference(s):
Home No. 7 seed Zheng Qinwen retires from China Open with injury
cgtn.com
