NINGBO, China — In a surprising turn of events, Emma Raducanu faced an early exit at the Ningbo Open, succumbing to local wild card Zhu Lin. This marks her second consecutive first-round elimination due to persistent health troubles.
Ranked 219th, Zhu clinched the match with a score of 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.
The British No. 1 and former U.S. Open champion required a medical timeout while down 4-3 in the second set, and again when trailing 2-1 in the final set. Despite her resilience, her mobility was noticeably compromised, allowing Zhu to seize control and triumph by winning 16 out of the last 19 points.
In her previous match at the Wuhan Open, fatigue forced Raducanu to retire while facing American Ann Li, who led 6-1, 4-1 in the sweltering conditions.
On the same day, Canada’s Victoria Mboko fell to Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine, losing 6-3, 7-6 (3) in her opening match.
The 19-year-old has now endured four consecutive defeats since her breakthrough victory at the 1000-series National Bank Open in Montreal.
