HONG KONG - Fourth-seeded Wang Xinyu of China suffered a surprising defeat to French player Jessika Ponchet in the first round of the Hong Kong Open on Monday.

Wang, ranked 37th in the world, initially took control of the match, winning the first set 6-4 and establishing a 4-2 lead in the second. However, Ponchet, who lost to Chinese teenager Shi Han in the first round of the Guangzhou Open last week, staged a remarkable comeback to win the second set 7-5.

In the decisive third set, Ponchet, currently ranked 106th in the world, applied significant pressure on Wang, ultimately taking the set 6-2 in a commanding performance. This victory marked Ponchet's second career win over a player ranked in the top 50.

Shi, a qualifier in Hong Kong, continued her strong showing on the WTA Tour, claiming her second win by defeating Russia's Margarita Betova 6-4, 6-2.

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In other matches, former world No 1 Simona Halep of Romania was eliminated by sixth seed Yuan Yue of China, losing 6-3, 6-3. Additionally, China's Wang Xiyu triumphed over Hina Inoue of the United States with a score of 6-3, 7-6 (2).