Raducanu falls to Zhu Lin at Ningbo Open, narrowing WTA Finals spots

Emma Raducanu and several higher-ranked players suffered early exits as the Ningbo Open gathered pace this week, producing a string of upsets that reshaped the draw and tightened the race for the final singles berths at the year-end WTA Finals in Riyadh. The WTA 500 hard-court event in Ningbo, China, which runs through Sunday, October 19, saw local veteran Zhu Lin eliminate Britain’s Raducanu in the opening round and then topple top seed Mirra Andreeva in the second round to reach the quarterfinals.

Raducanu, who had faced questions about her fitness after retiring from a match at the Wuhan Open and posting about ongoing treatment, was beaten by Zhu in three sets, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, according to official match results. The British number one had arrived in Zhejiang with an opportunity to add ranking points late in the season but will now exit Ningbo earlier than hoped. Zhu followed up that victory by ousting Andreeva, opening the door for other contenders in the tight WTA Finals race.

Other notable first-round results included McCartney Kessler’s dominant 6-1, 6-0 victory over former Grand Slam champion Sofia Kenin. Kessler’s win set up a last-16 clash with either Guo Hanyu or...