The 20-year-old had a disappointing 2022 season which was hampered by injuries and started the new year on a winning note in Auckland. Raducanu booked her place in the second round of the ASB Classic by defeating Linda Fruhvirtova 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.
The Brit then faced Slovakia’s Viktoria Kuzmova in the second round and started strongly, cruising through the first set and winning it 6-0. Kuzmova, however, fought back in the second set and won it 7-5 to force the match into a decider.
At this point, Emma Raducanu underwent a lengthy medical timeout after rolling her left ankle at the end of the second set. The 20-year-old could not continue and was forced to retire, thus giving Kuzmova a place in the quarterfinals. Raducanu, who started the match so well, ended up leaving the court in tears.
Here are some more pictures from the match:
“My biggest goal in 2023 is to be more injury free” - Emma Raducanu
Emma Raducanu suffered a string of injuries in 2022, which saw her have a lackluster season, winning only 17 out of 36 matches. As a result, she fell from the top 10 of the WTA rankings to 80th.
The 20-year-old, however, had expressed hope ahead of the new season, stating in an interview that she wanted to be more injury-free going forward, a comment that now rings ironic.
With the Australian Open just a couple of weeks away, it will be interesting to see if the young Brit can recover in time to compete in the tournament.
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