Belinda Bencic entered the WTA 500 tournament in Ningbo, China, as the fifth seed and world number 14, and her run ended in the eighth-finals, according to reports from 20 Minuten and Média sportif. The Swiss player, who won the singles gold medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, is projected to drop to 20th in the world rankings when the Women’s Tennis Association updates its standings.

Opening rounds and the retirement of Jelena Ostapenko

Bencic advanced to the round of 16 without completing her opening match after her opponent, Jelena Ostapenko, retired with an injury. The 2017 French Open champion and Wuhan semifinalist stopped playing early in the second set while Bencic led 6-3, 1-1, as Rhône FM reported. Ostapenko called for a medical timeout during the first set to check her blood pressure after falling behind 3-0. She managed to win two games before Bencic secured the opening set and Ostapenko conceded two games into the second set.

Defeat against Katarzyna Kawa in the round of 16

The second-round victory over Ostapenko was followed by a straight-sets loss to Polish qualifier Katarzyna Kawa, who entered the match ranked 128th in the world. Kawa defeated Bencic 7-5, 6-2 on the hard courts of Ningbo, as detailed by Léman Bleu. The Swiss number one struggled to find her rhythm, continuing a difficult stretch that included a first-round exit at the US Open and second-round losses at WTA 1000 events in Beijing and Wuhan.

Ranking implications and lost points from Tokyo

The early exit in China carries heavy ranking consequences because Bencic failed to defend the 500 ranking points she earned by winning the tournament in Tokyo the previous year. Live ranking projections cited by Média sportif placed her points total at 2,222 rather than her previous 2,662, cementing a drop from 14th to no higher than 20th overall. The updated WTA rankings are scheduled for release on Monday.