Defending champion Jannik Sinner retired with cramps in the third round of the Shanghai Masters this week, while 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic vomited as he beat Yannick Hanfmann.
A match in Wuhan will increase the chances of Raducanu being sown, the Australian Open in January, the first Grand Slam of the season.
The 2021 U.S. Open champion broke the game in Game 1, with Lee winning six straight games in a row – only one point in the game – ending the opening ceremony in 28 minutes.
Raducanu recovered from three double faults and held the serve at the start of the second set and looked tired.
But she failed to switch two breakout points in the next game, and then a series of slow, non-compulsory mistakes put Lee at 2-1.
The double fault has another rest time, and Raducanu requested medical timeouts before retirement.
The world’s No. 46 Lee will face Russia’s ninth seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, who beat Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko 6-3 6-2 in the second round.
