Bencic Moves On in Ningbo as Ostapenko Retires

Belinda Bencic's losing run is over, cut short by an opponent who could not continue. The #5 seed led Jeļena Ostapenko 6-3, 1-1 when the Latvian retired from their first-round match at the BNB Ningbo Open on Tuesday, sending Bencic into the second round after defeats at the WTA 1000 events in Beijing and Wuhan.

Ostapenko came to Ningbo a week after reaching the semifinals in Wuhan, but she was struggling physically long before the end. She needed a medical timeout in the first set, when her vitals and blood pressure were checked. She held serve to open the second set, and once Bencic had leveled at 1-1, she retired.