Wimbledon champion Simona Halep has retired from the Wuhan Open after suffering a lower back injury.
Despite the intervention of a physiotherapist, she was forced to withdraw when trailing 5-4 in the first set against the Kazakh wildcard.
Meanwhile, Ashleigh Barty defeated Sofia Kenin 6-3, 7-5 to secure a place in the quarterfinals.
Third seed Elina Svitolina also progressed against Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Bethell's maiden century stalls Australia's victory march in fifth Ashes test
Jacob Bethell scored his maiden test century to lead an England rearguard action on the fourth day of the fifth test on Wednesday but Australia still looked firmly set for victory and a 4-1 series triumph.
Diallo inspires Ivory Coast, late winner sends Algeria through at AFCON
Winger Amad Diallo scored one goal and created another as defending champions Ivory Coast eased past Burkina Faso 3-0 in their Africa Cup of Nations round-of-16 fixture, while Algeria's Adil Boulbina hit a last-gasp winner at the end of extra time as his side overcame the Democratic Republic of Congo 1-0.
Cadillac F1 add Zhou Guanyu as reserve driver
The Cadillac F1 team has confirmed the addition of Zhou Guanyu as its reserve driver ahead of the 2026 season.
Middle East’s largest creator-led golf event returns to Dubai
The Creators Dubai Desert Classic (CDDC) returns for its second edition from January 17-18, bringing together 16 of the biggest sporting content creators in social media to compete in their own version of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.
Australia on front foot in fifth Ashes test
Travis Head scored 163 and Steve Smith became the second-most prolific Ashes run-scorer of all time on the way to his century as Australia took a first-innings lead of 134 on the third day of the fifth test against England on Tuesday.
