World number seven Ons Jabeur withdrew from the Zhengzhou Open ahead of her quarter-final against Daria Kasatkina, blaming a knee injury that hampered her during a hard-fought victory over Lucia Bronzetti on Thursday.

Playing with her right knee taped, the Tunisian three-time Grand Slam finalist failed to serve out the victory on three occasions and needed five match points to move past the 63rd-ranked Italian Bronzetti 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) in just under two hours.

Shortly after her victory, the 29-year-old Jabeur announced she had to pull out of the tournament, handing Kasatkina a walkover into the semi-finals.

Eighth seed Kasatkina beat home player Bai Zhuoxuan 6-2, 6-4.

Having qualified for the WTA Finals for a second consecutive year, Jabeur faces a race against time to be ready for the prestigious season finale, which kicks off in Cancun on October 29.

"I'm so sorry that I have to withdraw because my knee is not feeling so great. I just want to say that I love my time here in Zhengzhou and I hopefully I can come back next year," said the fourth seed.

A seesaw opening set saw a combined five breaks of serve but it was Jabeur who carved out a 5-2 gap and the Tunisian took a one-set lead after 45 minutes.

The fourth seed earned a double-break lead in the second set and looked on track for a smooth victory when she served for the match at 5-2.&nbsp;

But Bronzetti had other ideas and snatched the next three games, breaking Jabeur twice to level the frame for five-all, saving a match point along the way.

Jabeur stopped the bleeding as she used her signature drop shot to maximum effect to break Bronzetti and put herself in position to serve for the win for a third time.

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Still the North African could not close it out as Bronzetti saved three more match points and broke serve on a Jabeur double-fault to take the set into a tie-break.

Jabeur finally closed out the 74-minute second set, and the contest, on her fifth match point.

Kasatkina also had to overcome a second-set fightback from her opponent and needed four match points before she completed a 90-minute victory over 117th-ranked Bai.

The 26-year-old Russian, who has lost her last five matches to Jabeur, will now move directly into the final four, where she awaits former French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova or Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko.

Meanwhile, Germany's Laura Siegemund upset 11th seed and recent Beijing runner-up Liudmila Samsonova 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 to book a quarter-final against Italian Jasmine Paolini.

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World number seven Ons Jabeur withdrew from the Zhengzhou Open ahead of her quarter-final against Daria Kasatkina, blaming a knee injury that hampered her during a hard-fought victory over Lucia Bronzetti on Thursday.

World number seven Ons Jabeur withdrew from the Zhengzhou Open ahead of her quarter-final against Daria Kasatkina, blaming a knee injury that hampered her during a hard-fought victory over Lucia Bronzetti on Thursday. Playing with her right knee taped, the Tunisian three-time Grand Slam finalist failed to serve out the victory on three occasions and needed five match points to move past the 63rd-ranked Italian Bronzetti 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) in just under two hours. Shortly after her victory, the 29-year-old Jabeur announced she had to pull out of the tournament, handing Kasatkina a walkover into the semi-finals. Eighth seed Kasatkina beat home player Bai Zhuoxuan 6-2, 6-4. Having qualified for the WTA Finals for a second consecutive year, Jabeur faces a race against time to be ready for the prestigious season finale, which kicks off in Cancun on October 29. "I'm so sorry that I have to withdraw because my knee is not feeling so great. I just want to say that I love my time here in Zhengzhou and I hopefully I can come back next year," said the fourth seed. A seesaw opening set saw a combined five breaks of serve but it was Jabeur who carved out a 5-2 gap and the Tunisian took a one-set lead after 45 minutes. The fourth seed earned a double-break lead in the second set and looked on track for a smooth victory when she served for the match at 5-2. But Bronzetti had other ideas and snatched the next three games, breaking Jabeur twice to level the frame for five-all, saving a match point along the way. Jabeur stopped the bleeding as she used her signature drop shot to maximum effect to break Bronzetti and put herself in position to serve for the win for a third time. ALSO READ | World Cup: Kane Williamson’s comeback on cards as New Zealand gear up for Bangladesh tie in Chennai Still the North African could not close it out as Bronzetti saved three more match points and broke serve on a Jabeur double-fault to take the set into a tie-break. Jabeur finally closed out the 74-minute second set, and the contest, on her fifth match point. Kasatkina also had to overcome a second-set fightback from her opponent and needed four match points before she completed a 90-minute victory over 117th-ranked Bai. The 26-year-old Russian, who has lost her last five matches to Jabeur, will now move directly into the final four, where she awaits former French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova or Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko. Meanwhile, Germany's Laura Siegemund upset 11th seed and recent Beijing runner-up Liudmila Samsonova 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 to book a quarter-final against Italian Jasmine Paolini. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Tennis: Ons Jabeur withdraws after reaching Zhengzhou Open last eight

World number two Karolina Pliskova beat Croatia's Petra Martic 6-3, 6-2 in the final of the inaugural Zhengzhou Open on Sunday to win the 15th WTA singles title of her career and her first in China.

The title was the Czech's fourth of the season to add to trophies won in Brisbane, Rome and Eastbourne — moving her ahead of Australian world number one Ash Barty and Canadian Bianca Andreescu for most titles won so far this year.

Pliskova won 74 per cent&nbsp;of her first service points, fired seven aces and broke the Croatian four times in a rain-interrupted match that was initially delayed by more than five hours due to heavy rain.

Martic, who held a superior 4-1 head-to-head record against Pliskova and also beat her at Roland Garros earlier this year, took a 2-0 lead in the first set when she broke the top seed in the opening game.

However, that was the only time Pliskova conceded a break of serve and she soon took control with powerful groundstrokes, using the full width of the court to smash winners and passing shots with precision.

Martic's service game suffered —&nbsp;she won only 53 per cent of her first service points — and Pliskova duly took advantage to punish the seventh seed and win five games in a row.

Pliskova's consistency in the baseline rallies was a force to reckon with and Martic had no answer to her superior court coverage, eventually conceding the 96-minute match after saving one championship point.

World number two Karolina Pliskova beat Croatia's Petra Martic 6-3, 6-2 in the final of the inaugural Zhengzhou Open on Sunday to win the 15th WTA singles title of her career and her first in China.

World number two Karolina Pliskova beat Croatia's Petra Martic 6-3, 6-2 in the final of the inaugural Zhengzhou Open on Sunday to win the 15th WTA singles title of her career and her first in China. The title was the Czech's fourth of the season to add to trophies won in Brisbane, Rome and Eastbourne — moving her ahead of Australian world number one Ash Barty and Canadian Bianca Andreescu for most titles won so far this year. Pliskova won 74 per cent of her first service points, fired seven aces and broke the Croatian four times in a rain-interrupted match that was initially delayed by more than five hours due to heavy rain. Martic, who held a superior 4-1 head-to-head record against Pliskova and also beat her at Roland Garros earlier this year, took a 2-0 lead in the first set when she broke the top seed in the opening game. However, that was the only time Pliskova conceded a break of serve and she soon took control with powerful groundstrokes, using the full width of the court to smash winners and passing shots with precision. Martic's service game suffered — she won only 53 per cent of her first service points — and Pliskova duly took advantage to punish the seventh seed and win five games in a row. Pliskova's consistency in the baseline rallies was a force to reckon with and Martic had no answer to her superior court coverage, eventually conceding the 96-minute match after saving one championship point.

Karolina Pliskova beats Martic in Zhengzhou to win her fourth title of 2019

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Tennis: Ons Jabeur withdraws after reaching Zhengzhou Open last eight

Karolina Pliskova beats Martic in Zhengzhou to win her fourth title of 2019