Clara Tauson produced 17 aces in her first match in a month. However, it wasn't enough to secure a victory against Uzbekistan's Polina Kudermetova, who also served well.
The Danish tennis player lost Friday's match in Beijing 4–6, 6–4, 4–6 in a contest characterized by very few service breaks.
Tauson, ranked number 44 in the world, served superbly against the world number 104, who nevertheless put up a strong fight throughout and held her nerve in the end.
The Dane got off to a good start, earning two break points against Kudermetova in the very first game. However, she failed to convert them, and Kudermetova subsequently played superbly in her own serve—as did Tauson.
Both players struggled to make an impact on their opponent's service games. Only Kudermetova managed to secure a break point, doing so at 4–3.
Tauson saved it, but when Kudermetova earned her second break point of the match while leading 5–4, it also served as a set point. This put the Dane under pressure, resulting in a double fault and the loss of the set.
Tauson kept her game together. With her serve working so well, there was no reason to panic; she simply needed another opportunity.
The second set followed the same pattern. Both players served exceptionally well and rarely conceded the initiative in their own service games. But Tauson managed to turn the tide in her favor as the set came down to the wire.
The third set was something of a case of déjà vu. There was only a single break point across the first seven service games, leaving the outcome to be decided by nerves in the end.
Tauson saved a break point to level the score at 4-4. Then Kudermetova saved one to go up 5-4, before the Dane’s nerves failed her.
Suddenly, her otherwise reliable serve faltered. She fell behind 0-40, and on the second match point, Kudermetova clinched the match with a net-cord winner.