Emma Raducanu has been forced to pull out of the China Open after picking up a foot injury whilst playing at another event.
The former US Open champion confirmed on Monday that she has suffered ligament damage in her foot after hurting it last week in South Korea. At the Korean Open, Raducanu reached the quarter-finals where she was forced to retire after losing the opening set 6-1 to Daria Kasatkina. She was also struggling with her left foot in the match she played before facing Kasatkina.
“Last week in Seoul I sprained some ligaments in my foot which unfortunately need some more time to heal.” Raducanu wrote on social media. “It means I can’t play in Beijing but I hope to be back competing as soon as I can.”
Raducanu was scheduled to play a qualifier in her opening match in Beijing. If she had won, her next rival would have been fifth seed and Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen.
With no ranking points to defend, the 21-year-old was hoping to play as many matches as possible in Asia to boost her ranking. The China Open is a WTA 500 event and following the tournament is a WTA 1000 tournament in Wuhan which she is still entered into.
Raducanu is currently ranked 54th in the world and has a win-loss record of 20-13 this season. This yer she has reached the semi-finals of the Nottingham Open and the quarter-finals of four other events. She also reached the fourth round at Wimbledon.
The Brit is the latest high-profile withdrawal from Beijing. Iga Swiatek isn’t playing due to personal reasons and Elena Rybakina has withdrawn due to a back injury. US Open champion Aryna Sabalenka is the top seed in the draw.
