Peng Shuai was stopped by her fellow Chinese Lu Jingjing 2-1 from the semifinals of an ITF women's tennis tournament here on Friday.
Peng, the two-time Grand Slam doubles champion and 2014 U.S. Open singles semifinalist, got a good start 3-0 before Lu managed to level at 6-all for the tiebreaker which Peng won 13-11.
The second set evolved into another tiebreaker which Lu won 7-3 to force the decisive set where Lu dominated the court and wrapped up the match 6-3.
The 30-year-old Peng, who had a series of back surgeries in 2015, saw her ranking fall to 281 in singles and 287 in doubles.
By turning to ITF events to tune up for the Rio Olympic Games, Peng reached the final of an ITF event in Kunming, China, early this month, only to withdraw from the middle of action citing discomfort in the back.
Peng becomes the symbol of women's tennis in China after Li Na retired with two Grand Slam titles.
