Laura Robson knocked out of the China Open

Laura Robson has been knocked out of the China Open after being defeated by Spain’s Lourdes Dominguez Lino.

Robson went into the second-round match as the higher-ranked player but a late break in the first set proved vital as Dominguez Lino triumphed 7-5 6-3.

The first set went with serve until the last game, when the Spaniard forced the match’s first break point and won the set 7-5.

Another break came after, in game three of the second set, and Dominguez Lino backed it up with a hold to lead 3-1.

A further break for each player followed, leaving the 31-year-old with a 5-3 lead before wrapping up the victory in an hour and 35 minutes.

“I just wasn’t consistent enough in the rallies and a lot of the time I tried to go for the wins too early,” said Robson.

“It was just far too inconsistent. I’m happy with my week in general.

“I went one round further than I did last year and had three good wins, so there are a lot of positives.”

Seventh seed Li Na brushed aside Nadia Petrova 6-1 6-2 to reach the last 16 – her first victory over the Russian in seven matches.

Li, who needs a big week to qualify for the season-ending WTA Championships, will play fellow Chinese Peng Shuai for a place in the last eight.