Emma Raducanu’s hopes of making a big leap up the WTA Rankings in her final W1000 event ended in worrying fashion as she was forced to pull out of the Wuhan Open after receiving medical advice on court.
Tennis365 are in attendance in Wuhan, China this week, where soaring temperatures have forced tournament officials to apply the ‘heat rule’ for the first two days of the main draw.
With that in mind, the roof was partially closed to Raducanu’s opening match against American Ann Li, but it was clear from the off that she was not comfortable in the conditions.
Li stormed to the first set with some sparkling tennis blowing Raducanu away in a one-sided set that finished 6-1 and with the conditions clearly affecting Raducanu, she called for medical attention after falling 4-1 behind in the second set.
She had her blood pressure checked and looked uneasy on her feet as she made the right decision to halt the match.
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This was a blow to Raducanu’s hopes of finishing 2025 in the top 32 of the WTA Rankings, as she targets a seeding at the Australian Open in January.
Responding to a question from Tennis365 in Wuhan, she confirmed that rankings goal is in her mind and she will be frustrated that she could not reach her top level amid the sweltering conditions.
“Being seeded for Australia is a big target for me over the next few weeks,” she stated.
“I think the higher you can go, the better it is, but it is still down to the luck of the draw. I’ve just been happy with the improvements in the last few weeks I’ve made in my game, and I just want to keep going with that.”
It will be hard for Raducanu to take too much from this match against Li as she was outclassed in the first set and clearly was not feeling healthy enough to reach the levels she was hoping for.
What comes next is a question the Brit will now need to answer, as she is due to have an extended stay in Asia as she has entered the Ningbo Open and the Pan Pacific Open.
After this experience in Wuhan, she may reconsider whether she wants to put herself through what looks set to be more hot conditions as temperatures continue to rise in China.
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The post Emma Raducanu forced to pull out of match amid worrying scenes in Wuhan appeared first on Tennis365.
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