Kanepi, ranked 133rd in the world, had defeated another veteran player, Barbora Strycova (Czech Republic) in round one, in the latter's swansong top-flight singles match.

The Estonian's career best in the U.S. Open is the quarter finals, which she reached in 2010 and again in 2017, while her season highlight so far has been an ITF-level victory in the Netherlands in July.

Zheng Qinwen, ranked 23rd in the world, took a 6:1, 6:0 win over Nadia Podoroska (Argentina) in round one. She won her first WTA-level tournament in July.

Kanepi and Zheng had not met on court before Thursday.

In a match which lasted almost two hours at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center, Zheng rescued two break points in the first game of the first set, then broke Kanepi's serve in game five. Kanepi was again unable to convert three break points she had in the following game, then was broken again without winning a point in game six. Zheng took the set 6:2.

The second set saw the Chinese player go 2:1 up after another break, though this time Kanepi broke on the next game. Things remained even-stevens thereafter until game eight, when Kanepi broke again, holding her own serve in the next game to take the set 6:3.

In the decider, Zheng took a 2-0 lead, but then immediately lost his service game again, and Kanepi tied things at 2:2 after winning her serve in the next game.

However, Zheng then strung together four games in a row, breaking Kanepi's game twice in the process, to take the set 6:4, and with it, the set.

Kanepi committed nine double faults in the whole match, to Zheng's seven, while the latter also pulled off nine aces.

Zheng converted five out of the seven break points, Kanepi, three out of nine.

Zheng next faces Lucia Bronzetti (Italy).

With Ingrid Neel out of the women's doubles and Mark Lajal having failed to qualify, Estonia's U.S. Open entrants are now all out.

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