Before the Korea Open began in Seoul, the organizers hosted a party attended by top WTA stars including Emma Raducanu, Marta Kostyuk, and Sloane Stephens. The tennis stars showcased stunning looks at the event before heading to the courts.
The Korea Open was set to feature several top 10 players initially but after a flurry of withdrawals, World No. 13 Daria Kasatkina took up the top seed. Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, and defending champion Jessica Pegula were among the players who withdrew.The WTA 500 event, scheduled to begin on 16 September, held a party before the tournament. Kasatkina, Raducanu, Stephens, Kostyuk, Liudmila Samsonova, and Beatriz Haddad Maia were among the attendees.
Raducanu wore a long-sleeved, sheer brown top paired with black pants. She completed the look with a subtle cross necklace. Kostyuk donned a black cropped top under a matching black jacket with white stitched details and black pants.Meanwhile, Stephens wore a multicolored sweater with abstract patterns and carried a white handbag.
Korea Open 2024 1R: Marta Kostyuk defeats Arantxa Rus; Emma Raducanu faces Peyton Stearns, Sloane Stephens faces Hailey Baptiste
The 2024 Korea Open boasts of some exciting clashes from the get-go. Fifth seed Marta Kostyuk took on Arantxa Rus on the first day of the main draw and defeated the Dutch player 6-3, 6-1. The Ukrainian set up a clash against Heather Watson in the second round.
Kostyuk and Watson last faced each other in the qualifiers in Brisbane in 2019. Kostyuk won that match in three sets.Emma Raducanu will take on Peyton Stearns in the first round. The Brit reached the semifinal at the event in 2022 and had to retire against top seed Jelena Ostapenko in the third set.This will be the second match between Raducanu and Stearns on Tour after their clash in Washington in July which was won by the Brit 7-6(2), 6-2.
Meanwhile, Sloane Stephens has already faced her compatriot Hailey Baptiste in the first round in Seoul. She added another defeat to her five-match losing streak in singles.She faced a second-round exit at the Grasscourt Slam before facing first-round exits at the Citi Open, Canadian Open, US Open, and Guadalajara Open Akron.Baptiste also stuffed a first-round exit at the Citi Open and the Guadalajara Open, Akron.
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