Ningbo Open: Emma Raducano loses to Zhou Lin in the first round

Raducanu has two tournaments — the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo and the Hong Kong Open — left on her schedule this year.

Francis Roig, who has an agreement to coach Raducano until the end of the season, is not with her in Ningbo.

Raducanu has played 50 matches on the WTA Tour this year, the most since winning the US Open in 2021.

Perhaps the physical demands are starting to kick in, with Raducano’s movement declining, as Cho, a former top-40 player, extends her throws to keep her on the court longer.

Raducanu won only 51% of the points on her first serve and 38% on her second serve.

She advanced 3-0 and won the first set despite breaking her serve four times in the last five games.

She and Zhou exchanged breaks early in the second set before Raducano required physical therapy. She left the court after forcing Zhou to make a decision.

Raducano had her back at the start of the third set after running a forehand and made more errors as the match went on.

Zhou will face top-seeded Russian Mira Andreeva in the round of 16 on Wednesday.