Emma Raducanu’s struggle with injury continues following her latest fitness update. The 21-year-old retired from her Korea Open quarter-final clash with Daria Kasatkina at the weekend due to a foot injury and the problem has now forced her to withdraw from this week’s China Open.
After pulling out of the tournament in Seoul, Raducanu was named in the draw for Beijing on Monday but she withdrew from the WTA 1000 event shortly after. The world number 54 had been due to face a qualifier in the first round of the China Open, with Hubei-born Zheng Qinwen potentially taking her on.
Raducanu has provided a short update on the nature of her injury but has not specified how long she will be on the sidelines.
“I sprained some ligaments in my foot which unfortunately need some more time to heal. It means I can’t play in Beijing but I hope to be back competing as soon as I can,” she announced on X.
Raducanu had started her run at the Korea Open with straight set wins over Peyton Stearns and Yue Yuan, looking to bounce back from another disappointing return to the US Open. Since winning the title in 2021, the Briton has struggled every time at Flushing Meadows.
Her title defence in 2022 ended in the first round to Alizé Cornet, and after missing most of the WTA Tour events in 2023 through injury and surgery recovery, Raducanu was knocked out in the first round once again by home star Sofia Kenin.
Raducanu’s historical triumph at the 2021 US Open saw her become the first qualifier in history to win a Grand Slam title in the Open Era. However, her progress since her remarkable achievement has been seriously hindered due to ongoing injuries.
Raducanu is next scheduled to compete at the WTA 1000 Wuhan Open on October 7th but due to the unclear timeframe of her recovery, it remains to be seen whether she will take to the Optics Valley International Tennis Center next month.
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