Home No. 7 seed Zheng Qinwen retires from China Open with injury

Chinese seventh seed Zheng Qinwen retired from her women's singles third-round match against No. 26 seed Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic at the China Open in Beijing on Monday, because of injury.

Zheng suffered two breaks in the first set and lost it 6-4. She improved her services in the second set and broke Noskova in the sixth game before claiming the set with a love game in the ninth, tying the match 1-1.

The 22-year-old conceded her first service game in the decider and trailed 3-0 before deciding to retire. Her elimination means there are no Chinese players left in the singles events at the tournament.

"I didn't finish the match tonight," Zheng said after the loss. "I'm really sorry because I always say I want to stand till the end. But I just had the first surgery in my career. That's why I was opting for a more conservative approach. Next step? I'm not sure yet. We need to do more checking and then discuss with my team to see whether a three-set match can have a bigger impact on my body. This is something I need to discuss with my team members."

Zheng underwent surgery on her right elbow in July and participated in the China Open as her first tournament since return.

Noskova will face Anastasia Potapova of Russia next.