Emma Raducanu suffers huge injury scare in Korea Open exit
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Emma Raducanu’s hopes of a long Asian swing have been thrown into doubt after a shock injury scare for the former US Open champion.
Raducanu was set for a blockbuster Korea Open quarter-final against top seed Daria Kasatkina on Saturday after all play had initially been cancelled on Friday.
The Brit could have potentially sealed a return to the top 50 of the WTA Rankings with victory, though she was ultimately left to retire after losing the first set 6-1 due to a left foot injury.
Raducanu initially called the trainer at 4-1 down and received some treatment, though ultimately decided to end the match after dropping the opening set to the world No 13.
It is the latest injury blow for Raducanu, whose career has been dogged by physical issues.
However, it will be hoped that this retirement was merely a precaution ahead of what looks set to be a significant spell on court across the Asian swing.
The 21-year-old has faced repeated scheduling criticism in recent months but has committed to multiple events across the latter part of the year, a run which started with action at the WTA 500 event in Seoul.
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She is currently set to play at the WTA 1000 China Open next week and could then play a second straight WTA 1000 in Wuhan the following week, while she has also entered the WTA 500 event in Ningbo.
Speaking earlier this week to wtatennis.com, the Brit admitted that this spell of the season was a priority for her.
"I think the rest of the year, as long as I'm healthy, I'm going to try and finish the season and play as many matches as I can," said Raducanu.
"It's something I'm really light on since the grass through the (Washington) DC period. I've not played many points, even in practice.
"So, as gruelling as (her opening Korea Open match against Peyton Stearns) was, I think I had three hours of match experience which can only aid me going into the next few weeks.
"For me now, I just want to play matches and, in the meantime, do a little bit of work on my game where I can.”
Raducanu does have the luxury of time to rest ahead of the China Open in Beijing as she looks to recover from this latest setback.
Main draw action does not begin until next Friday, meaning she has at least one week to recuperate.
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