Zheng Qinwen retires at China Open, quits when trailing Novoska in deciding set
Chinese No 1 ends comeback tournament early after spending two months out recovering from elbow surgery
Zheng Qinwen’s China Open came to an abrupt end on Monday, with the home favourite retiring in the deciding set of her third-round clash against Linda Noskova.
The Chinese world No 9 had recovered from going a set down to draw things level, but was well behind in the third set when she called time on her first tournament since recovering from elbow surgery.
Noskova was 6-4, 3-6, 3-0 up at that point and will now face Russia’s Anastasia Potapova for a place in the quarter-finals.
Zheng said her return from recent elbow surgery had come too soon.
“Okay, now I know to compete third set, the amount of hitting the balls is too much for me,” she said.
Noskova, who ranks 27th in the world, knocked out another Chinese player, Wang Xiyu, in the previous round. It was Zheng’s third career meeting with Noskova, having won both of their previous encounters before Monday’s setback.