Emma Raducanu suffered a nasty fall in her Rothesay Open semi-final clash with fellow Brit Katie Boulter, before their match was suspended due to heavy rain in Nottingham.
The match, which Raducanu advanced into after her quarter-final opponent was too unwell to play, was postponed on several occasions as rain fell across the Midlands.
Play won’t resume on Saturday and the remainder of the semi between Raducanu and Boutler will take place on Sunday, alongside the opposite semi and the final.
Raducanu won the first set in a gruelling 7-6 tiebreak, with the final point before play was stopped. An overhead winner from the 2021 US Open champion saw her take the set 15-13, before going over to speak with the umpire.
The 21-year-old explained that as rain continued to fall on the grass, the court became too wet to play. The official then came to wipe their hand on the court and agreed with Raducanu, calling an end to play, as Boulter was informed that one side of the court was more slippery than the other and the umpire did not want to risk any injuries.
The ‘Battle of the Brits’ provided wonderful value for those in attendance in Nottingham, despite the need to dress appropriately for the weather in June, as Raducanu aimed for three consecutive victories for the first time since returning from injury.
However, she did suffer a big scare when she slipped and clutched her leg in pain, but it appeared to be just that as Raducanu was able to return to the court after testing her leg between points.
She did require the physio and needed a drink, but received a big ovation from the crowd when she returned to the court, in a bid to set up a final against either Karolina Pliskova or Diane Parry.
And Raducanu, accompanied by a revamped serve, rallied against the defending champion to win the only playable set. Boulter led 4-1 in the tiebreak and had three set points, but was unable to put Raducanu away and upon victory, pointed to her head, likely to indicate her strong mentality during the blockbuster clash.
