Former world No.2 Vera Zvonareva has returned from a 17-month hiatus, falling to Chinese star Li Na at the Shenzhen Open.

The 31-year-old Li, Asia’s highest-ranked player in tennis history, beat Zvonareva 7-5 6-3 in one hour and 46 minutes.

It was the first singles event for Zvonareva since the 2012 London Olympics, after which the 29-year-old was sidelined due to illness and a shoulder injury.

Zvonareva had triumphed over Li in four of their previous five meetings, the most recent of which came in 2010.

Taiwan’s Chan Yung-Jan, meanwhile, scored a surprise victory over sixth-seed Zhang Shuai of China.

Chan won 3-6 6-4 6-2.