The host city’s only singles hope at the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open was eliminated at the first stage on Tuesday going down 6-2, 6-2, to mainlander Wang Qiang at Victoria Park.

The 26-year-old Zhang, who had been nursing herself back to fitness in recent weeks following a fractured toe, bowed out in just 75 minutes against the Chinese number two, who is ranked 68 in the world.

In an occasionally sloppy performance, the Hong Kong player threw away several chances to seal crucial points with a series of unforced errors at important junctures in the match.

Watch: Zhang Ling talks about her first-round loss

“I think there was a lot of chances,” said a bitterly disappointed Zhang afterwards. “I had a lot of game points in both sets.

“She’s a good player. For the last few years she’s had good results and deserves the credit. On the other hand, I can see this as a chance for me to get better and challenge for the top 100. I’m very disappointed I didn’t take the chance today, But it will give me more confidence and more fire to be better.”