Chalien Dantes/Contributor

Emma Raducanu’s tough run in China continued with a draining three-set defeat to world number 219 Zhu Lin in the first round of the Ningbo Open on Tuesday (October 13).

What started with promise ended badly, as the 22-year-old Brit battled physical issues throughout a 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 loss that lasted just under two and a half hours.

Raducanu looked sharp early on, storming to a 3-0 lead and grabbing the first set despite a flurry of breaks. But as the match wore on, her energy dipped noticeably. During the second set, she called for the physio, had her blood pressure checked, and was handed food and drink courtside, which are clear signs something wasn’t right.

After dropping the second set, she needed a medical timeout in the third for treatment on her back. Her movement and service began to suffer, and errors crept in as Zhu extended the rallies and pushed her around the court. From that point, the match slipped quickly out of Raducanu’s reach.

It’s been a physically demanding year for the former US Open champion, who’s played 50 matches on tour her busiest season since her breakout in 2021. Just last week, she retired from her opening match at the Wuhan Open due to illness.

Raducanu is still scheduled to compete in Tokyo and Hong Kong before her season wraps up. Notably, her coach, Francis Roig, wasn’t with her in Ningbo this week.

Meanwhile, Zhu Lin moves on to face Russian top seed Mirra Andreeva in the last 16, while Raducanu will be hoping for rest, recovery, and a reset before she returns to the court.