Upsets Spark Startling Night at Nanjing Open 500: Raducanu, Lin, and More Shake the Field

Round One Shocks at the Nanjing Open

Tuesday’s action at the Nanjing Open 500 featured three players holding major titles falling early, underscoring the event’s unpredictability this season.

Marketa Vondrousova, back on tour for the first time since withdrawing from the US Open due to a knee issue, was upset by her fellow Czech Karolina Mokova, 6-4, 6-3, earning Mokova a second-round date with Russia’s seventh seed Diana Schneider.

Mokova’s advancement means she will face a familiar challenge in Schneider, the tournament’s seventh seed, in the next round.

Meanwhile, Canadian Victoria Mboko will have to wait another week for a win after a 6-3, 7-6 defeat to Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska. Yastremska fought back from a 5-2 deficit in the second set, extending Mboko’s winless streak since her Montreal title in August. The Ukrainian now meets Elina Ribakina, the third seed, in round two.

Finally, British Open champion Emma Raducanu succumbed to local favorite Zhu Lin, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, after requiring two medical timeouts during the match. The result pits Zhu Lin against the tournament’s top seed, Elena Rybakina, in the second round.

Zhu Lin Takes a Step Forward

Zhu Lin, ranked 219 and competing on a wild card, registered her second top-30 win since returning to competition in January. The Chinese player endured a rocky start but steadied her game, extending the rally lengths and sealing the decisive moments with a late burst in the second set.

Raducanu’s Day Ends, Zhu Lin Moves On

Despite Raducanu’s off-court difficulties during the match, Zhu Lin’s steady aggression and clean groundstrokes carried the day. The British former US Open champion showed signs of strain in the early stages of the second set, but dismantled Raducanu’s resistance with a string of sharp returns and solid serving to close out the match.

Other First-Round Notes

From other action, Ludmila Samsonova, the eighth seed, defeated Chinese opponent Jiu Han Yu 6-2, 6-4 to set up a second-round meeting with American McCartney Kisler, while Denmark’s Clara Tauson bowed out to Australian Ajla Tomljanovic 1-6, 7-6, 6-3, prompting a clash with Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez next.

Veronika Kudermetova then beat Croatian Antonia Rozic 6-3, 6-2 to advance and will face Jasmine Paolini in round two.

Looking back at the event’s history, Nanjing Open began in 2010, with past champions including players from Italy, Belarus, Taiwan, Serbia, Poland, and Tunisia. The tournament paused from 2015 to 2022 and returned in 2023 as a 250-point event, with Anastasija? Jabr? (Anastasia?) Jabeur among early winners guiding its upward trajectory. It rose again to 500 points last year, with Daria Kasatkina lifting the title.

The competition now serves as one of the final hurdles before the season-ending championships, scheduled for early November, as eight players have already secured a spot in the season finale: Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, Jessica Pegula, and Madison Keys, with Elena Rybakina in seventh, Jasmine Paolini eighth, and Dayana Yastremska ninth in the race for the eight spots.

Current standings place Rybakina atop the group with 4,319 points, Paolini close behind at 4,131, and Yastremska at 3,913.

For fans, the first round delivered drama, spillovers, and a reminder that tennis is a game of momentum and margins—where a knee tweak, a comeback, or a single forehand can alter the bracket in a heartbeat.

What’s Next and Why It Matters

The Nanjing Open continues to be a barometer for who could surge into the year-end finals, with top players weighing up their form ahead of the chase for the coveted eight spots. Expect a mix of veterans to extend runs and youngsters to press their claims as the field narrows toward November.

As the dust settles on Day 1, the question remains: which stars will seize the moment and which will fade before the confetti can fall? The answers will unfold in the days to come, but one thing is clear—this tournament doesn’t hand out free postcards; it hands out punchy rallies and fresh narratives.

Punchline time: If tennis were a stealth operation, these upsets would be the sniper shots—quiet, precise, and somehow catching the crowd off guard. And my own serving game? It’s so unreliable, even the calendar skipped ahead to the next match. To all players: may your serves land, your calls be fair, and your coffee be strong after late finishes.