Simona Halep’s preparations for the Australian Open took a hit when the second-seeded Romanian was beaten by Czech world No.52 Katerina Siniakova 6-3 4-6 7-5 in the second round of the Shenzhen Open.
World No.4 Halep, the 2015 champion, was broken four times in the final set after the pair combined for 15 breaks of serve in the match.
Also, Kristyna Pliskova of the Czech Republic advanced to the quarter-finals with a 6-1 6-2 win over Chang Kai-chen of Taiwan, and Nina Stojanovic of Serbia defeated Ons Jabeur of Tunisia 4-6 6-3 6-3.