BEIJING, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- A spate of retirements marked Monday's action at the China Open, with five players forced to withdraw mid-match. Still, top seeds Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek advanced, while Daniil Medvedev booked a semifinal clash with rising American Learner Tien.
China's Zheng Qinwen became the latest casualty of the injury wave, pulling out of her third-round match against Czech player Linda Noskova while trailing 6-4, 3-6, 3-0 in the night session on Diamond Court.
Earlier in the day, Jakub Mensik, Camila Osorio, Lois Boisson and Lorenzo Musetti also retired mid-match, bringing the total withdrawals to five across the men's and women's draws.
Italy's Sinner, the top seed and world No. 2, powered past Hungary's Fabian Marozsan 6-1, 7-5 to reach the semifinals. The 24-year-old four-time Grand Slam champion broke three times in the opening set and survived a spirited challenge in the second before clinching the match with back-to-back love games.
"He was serving much better in the second set and playing more aggressively," Sinner said. "I had some chances at 4-3 but couldn't take them. It was a very tough match, but I'm happy with the way I closed it. Matches like this help me build confidence going deeper in the tournament."
Next up for Sinner is Australia's Alex de Minaur, who advanced after Czech youngster Mensik retired while trailing 4-1 in the first set. The 20-year-old Mensik, ranked No. 19 after a breakthrough season that included a title run in Miami, was unable to continue, sending the third seed through.
"I know Alex will make some adjustments, so I'll have to be ready," Sinner said. "He's been very consistent this year, and it's going to be a tough challenge. Every match against him feels like a chess battle."
On the other half of the men's draw, Medvedev swept past Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-3 in their quarterfinal clash. The 2021 US Open champion will now face 19-year-old Tien, who advanced after Musetti retired.
In the women's draw, world No. 1 Swiatek maintained her flawless record in Beijing, racing through the first set 6-0 against Osorio before the Colombian retired with an apparent injury. The victory marked Swiatek's 400th career match win and extended her unbeaten streak in the Chinese capital.
"I'm sorry for Camila because she's always giving her 100%," Swiatek said. "It's always sad to see a match end this way. But overall I felt good in the first set and was using my game to push her. The support from the Beijing crowd gives me a lot of energy, and it's special to keep winning here."
Swiatek will next face 16th seed Emma Navarro, who advanced after France's Boisson retired while trailing 6-2, 1-0.
China's Zheng saw her campaign end in heartbreak. The Olympic champion leveled her third-round match against Noskova by taking the second set, but trailing 3-0 in the decider, she called it quits after consulting medical staff courtside.
"It's really disappointing not to finish the match because I've always prided myself on fighting until the last point," the seventh seed said. "But this was my first surgery, and I don't want something more serious to happen, so I made a conservative choice. It was important for me to test my body here, even if the result wasn't what I wanted."
After losing in the first round at Wimbledon in July, Zheng underwent right elbow surgery and missed more than two months of competition, including the US Open. The China Open was her first tournament since returning.
Noskova, who eliminated Wang Xiyu in the previous round, moves into the last 16 to face Russia's Anastasia Potapova, a 6-3, 7-5 winner over Turkey's Zeynep Sonmez.
Elsewhere, fourth seed Mirra Andreeva beat Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-4, 6-1, while Marta Kostyuk defeated Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-4, 6-2 to reach the last 16.
With five players unable to finish their matches, the day highlighted both the physical strain of the Asian swing and the resilience required at this stage of the season. ■
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