Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from the China Open just hours after learning of a difficult route to the latter stages of the tournament, according to the WTA.
The British star was due to face Chinese home favourite Qinwen Zheng in the second round, if she defeated a qualifier in her first match.
Raducanu has been forced to pull out due to injury. It will come as a frustration for the 21-year-old whose rise up the rankings to No. 54 meant she automatically qualified for the main draw in Beijing.
Having retired from her most recent match, Raducanu faced a race against time to be fit for the China Open. She withdrew during the quarter-final of the Korea Open, which she trailed 6-1 against Daria Kasatkina.
Raducanu had a medical time out to have her foot strapped during her second-round match against Yue Yuan in Korea. But the 2021 US Open champion continued and went on to win 6-4 6-3.
Kasatkina said of Raducanu’s retirement: “I feel sorry for Emma. It’s a pity to get injured, especially in the deeper stages of the tournament. I wish her a speedy recovery.”
Raducanu has enjoyed a much more positive year on the WTA tour this year, soaring back into the top 100 with some fine performances. She narrowly missed out on reaching her first Wimbledon quarter-final during the summer and has reached the latter stages of tournaments such as the Citi Open and the Stuttgart Open.
A positive display at the China Open, a WTA 1000 event, would have been the perfect opportunity for Raducanu to claim vital ranking points. However, the foot injury she suffered in Korea appears to have prevented her from taking part.
Persistent injuries halted Raducanu’s momentum after her shock triumph at the US Open three years ago. She spent much of 2023 recovering from a trio of surgeries to her wrists and ankle.
But the Brit insisted ahead of the US Open – in which she was knocked out in the first round by Sofia Kenin – that the ‘passion’ is back in her performances.
“I just play so much better when I’m happy and putting my personality out there,” Raducanu told Sky Sports. “I think I’ve been playing a lot freer in the last month.
“I have been expressing myself, I’ve been fighting and there has been a lot of passion, I’ve been feisty. And that’s me. I’m really tenacious and gritty.”
She added: “I would say I’ve fluctuated. I think in the past I was always playing a role and sometimes I wasn’t enjoying certain moments freely and carefree. I’m a lot better now at just expressing myself.”
