Defending champion Jannik Sinner retired with cramp in the third round of the Shanghai Masters this week, while 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic vomited during his win over Yannick Hanfmann.
A deep run in Wuhan would have boosted Raducanu’s chances of being seeded for January’s Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the season.
The 2021 US Open champion broke in the first game before Li won six successive games – dropping only one point on serve – to wrap up the opening set in 28 minutes.
Raducanu looked fatigued as she recovered from three double faults to hold serve at the start of the second set.
But she failed to convert two break points in the next game and a series of sluggish unforced errors then helped Li break for a 2-1 lead.
A double fault handed Li another break, and Raducanu called for a medical timeout before retiring.
World number 46 Li will face Russian ninth seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, who beat Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko 6-3 6-2 on Monday, in the second round.
