Beijing, Sept 29 (AFP) China Open organisers faced questions after two-time Grand Slam champion Garbine Muguruza lost in a match which did not start until nearly 1:00 am and concluded at 2:31 am Sunday.

The Spaniard's conqueror Sofia Kenin said that she felt "mentally drained" following the late-night first-round encounter in Beijing, which the American won 6-0, 2-6, 6-2.

"I obviously started out really well in the first set and I knew that she was going to pick up her game," the 15th seed told the official WTA website.

"I just felt pretty tired, mentally drained, but I'm happy that I somehow found a way to just fight through it.

"The support from the crowd was great, even at 2:30 in the morning, surprisingly," added the Moscow-born Kenin.

Her clash with Muguruza, 25, who won the 2016 French Open and Wimbledon a year later, was delayed after all four previous matches on the main Diamond Court went to three sets.

AFP has approached the China Open for comment about its scheduling. (AFP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)