Emma Raducanu started strong in her Wuhan Open first-round match, breaking Ann Li early, but lost six consecutive games to trail 6-4, 4-1
Struggled with four double faults at the start of the second set, showing signs of dizziness
After calling for medical attention, Raducanu retired, ending her Wuhan Open campaign prematurely
Wuhan Open 2025: Emma Raducanu Retires From Opener, Zhang Shuai Stuns Emma Navarro
Emma Raducanu forced to retire from Wuhan Open first-round match against Ann Li due to health concerns
Summary
Emma Raducanu's Wuhan Open campaign came to a premature end after she was forced to retire from her first-round clash with Ann Li on Tuesday.
Raducanu was trailing 6-4 4-1 when she decided to retire from the match after a medical timeout, having appeared to look dizzy at points during the second set.
The British number one had begun strongly, breaking Li at the start, but went on to lose the next six games in just 28 minutes.
Raducanu then made four double faults at the start of the second set, but somehow managed to hold serve against her American opponent.
However, Li reeled off the next four games before Raducanu called for her trainer and withdrew.
Li, who will face Ekaterina Alexandrova in the next round, said: "I want to wish Emma a fast recovery. It looks like she wasn't feeling good.
"It was a tough match last time, so hopefully she feels better. I'm happy with my performance. I stayed pretty solid for the entire match."
Wildcard Shuai Zhang provided the tournament's first shock as she battled her way past 14th seed Emma Navarro across three sets earlier in the day.
After Navarro came from a set down to take the match to a decider, she could not get herself over the line as Zhang claimed an impressive 6-2 2-6 6-3 victory.
Navarro appeared on course for a place in the second round after taking a 3-0 lead in the decider, but Zhang roared back and won six games on the spin to seal her progression.
And Zhang will be joined in the second round by Naomi Osaka, who came from behind to take down Leylah Fernandez 4-6 7-5 6-3.
Data Debrief: Osaka fights back as Zhang flies the flag
Osaka had not played in Wuhan since 2017, when she suffered a first-round defeat to Elise Mertens, but she marked her return to the tournament by showing the grit and determination that has seen her lift four grand slam titles.
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Indeed, the former world number one registered her seventh win after losing the first set at WTA level during 2025, equalling her most such wins in a single season (seven in 2019).
But her display was overshadowed by home hope Zhang, who registered her 48th Tier1/WTA 1000 main draw match victory. Since the start of 1990, only Na Li (108) and Shuai Peng (78) have won more such matches.
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