Three champions at Grand Slam or WTA 1000 level took to the court on Tuesday at the AUX Ningbo Open, but none survived their first-round contests.

Ningbo: Scores | Draws | Order of play

Marketa Vondrousova returned to action for the first time since a knee injury forced her to withdraw ahead of her US Open quarterfinal against Aryna Sabalenka, and was knocked out by fellow Czech Karolina Muchova 6-4, 6-3.

Victoria Mboko will have to wait another week to get back to winning ways after being overpowered by Dayana Yastremska 6-3, 7-6(3). The Ukrainian came from 5-2 down in the second set, meaning Mboko has now gone 0-4 since her shock title run in Montreal in August.

Finally, a physically ailing Emma Raducanu was defeated 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 by home favorite Zhu Lin. The former US Open champion required two medical time-outs during the match and was in visible discomfort throughout the third set.

Zhu hits stride as Raducanu fades

This time last year, former No. 31 Zhu was forced to miss the entire Chinese swing after an elbow injury sidelined her for six months.

“This year, I’m trying my best to perform,” she told the crowd in her on-court interview.

Currently ranked No. 219 and competing in Ningbo as a wild card, Zhu’s determination paid off as she scored her second Top 30 win since returning to action in January. The 31-year-old got off to an error-strewn start, but towards the end of the first set began to demonstrate how she could turn the contest around.

Zhu began extending both the rallies and the games, turning the match into a mentally and physically gruelling battle. The last four games of the first set all went to deuce, culminating in a riveting final game in which Raducanu saved three break points before converting her fifth set point with a forehand winner.

The Briton had won the battle, but Zhu laid the foundations for winning the war. She picked up where she left off in the second set, smothering Raducanu from the baseline with a series of cleanly-struck winners. Though Raducanu showed grit of her own to break Zhu back twice, the Chinese player never took her foot off the pedal and sealed the set with a third break of serve.

Raducanu had required a medical time-out trailing 4-3 in the second set, and her movement was visibly hampered as she took to the court for the decider. A second medical time-out down 2-1 did not help matters. On resumption, Zhu rattled through 16 of the last 19 points of the match as Raducanu’s resistance fell away.

More to come…