Tokyo, Japan, 13 September 2017 | tennis.com.au

Sam Stosur has fallen in three sets in her comeback to tennis following more than three months on the sidelines with a hand injury.

The Australian, who hadn’t played a competitive match since a fourth-round loss at Roland Garros, went down 3-6 7-5 6-1 to Spaniard Sara Sorribes Tormo at the Japan Women’s Open in Tokyo.

Stosur, seeded fifth at the WTA International event, led by a break early in the second set before going down in almost two-and-a-half hours.

In a scratchy match, the players combined for two aces and 17 double faults.

Sorribes Tormo next faces American Christina McHale, while Stosur will next target the WTA tournament in Guangzhou before contesting bigger tournaments in Wuhan and Beijing.

The Queenslander suffered a right-hand stress fracture in Paris, which contributed to her loss to eventual champion Jelena Ostapenko.

The injury forced her to skip Wimbledon and healed more slowly than expected, forcing her withdrawal from the US Open.