Caroline Wozniacki’s hopes of qualifying for the year-ending WTA Finals in Singapore took a hit after she crashed out of the China Open.
Australian Samantha Stosur showed flashes of her old brilliance to beat Wozniacki 6-4 7-6(9) in their second round encounter.
Wozniacki needed to win the Beijing title to definitely qualify for Singapore but was troubled by the sharp-serving Stosur, who broke her in the seventh game to claim the first set and saved five set points in the tie-break before closing it out.
Wozniacki can still qualify for Singapore this week, if Angelique Kerber does not reach the quarter-finals and Ekaterina Makarova falls before the final.