Browsing: Wuhan

WUHAN, China — Naomi Osaka dropped the first set before rallying to beat Leylah Fernandez 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 on Tuesday to advance to the second round of the WTA’s 1,000-level Wuhan Open.

Osaka was back in the central Chinese city for the first time since 2017 and, in the day’s first match on center court, facing the player who produced a major upset to beat her at the 2021 US Open.

Fernandez converted one of her two first-set breakpoint chances and served consistently. But Osaka stepped up pressure on the service returns in the second set, which featured five service breaks, and finished over the top of the 2021 US Open finalist.

Emma Raducanu, who beat Fernandez to win the US Open title four years ago, was trailing Ann Li 6-1, 4-1 when she retired from their first-round match due to dizziness.

In other early matches, Sofia Kenin edged Anastasia Zakharova 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3 to set up a second-round meeting against No. 16 Liudmila Samsonova, who beat Emiliana Arango 6-1, 7-5.

No. 2 Iga Swiatek was scheduled to make her Wuhan tournament debut in a second-round match against Marie Bouzkova in the night session.

Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka and No. 3 Coco Gauff were due to open Wednesday. No. 4 Amanda Anisimova, the runner-up at both the US Open and Wimbledon this year, withdrew from the Wuhan Open citing a left calf muscle injury after winning the China Open title.

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Defending champion Jannik Sinner retired with cramp in the third round of the Shanghai Masters this week, while 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic vomited during his win over Yannick Hanfmann.

A deep run in Wuhan would have boosted Raducanu’s chances of being seeded for January’s Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the season.

The 2021 US Open champion broke in the first game before Li won six successive games – dropping only one point on serve – to wrap up the opening set in 28 minutes.

Raducanu looked fatigued as she recovered from three double faults to hold serve at the start of the second set.

But she failed to convert two break points in the next game and a series of sluggish unforced errors then helped Li break for a 2-1 lead.

A double fault handed Li another break, and Raducanu called for a medical timeout before retiring.

“I hope she feels better. I don’t know what happened, but you could tell towards the end she was maybe not moving as much. But, for me, it was good match,” Li said.

The world number 46 will face Russian ninth seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, who beat Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko 6-3 6-2 on Monday, in the second round.

Earlier on Tuesday, Japanese four-time major winner Naomi Osaka beat Canada’s Leylah Fernandez 4-6 7-5 6-3 to reach round two.

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