Due to a foot injury, Emma Raducanu had to withdraw from her Korea Open quarterfinal match against Daria Kasatkina on Saturday. The British player encountered a similar problem during her victory over Yue Yuan in the previous round, which she was unable to resolve in Seoul.
After just over 30 minutes of play, Raducanu decided not to return for the second set, as Kasatkina crushed the opening 6-1. The Russian made it to the South Korean semifinals, but she showed poise after the play by expressing sympathy for her irritated opponent in the post-match interview.
“First of all, I feel sorry for Emma for retiring during the match,” stated Kasatkina. “Getting hurt is unfortunate, particularly in the later phases of the competition. I hope she heals quickly so she can prepare for the next competition. I am aware of how crucial this swing is to her.”
Raducanu grinned as she shook Kasatkina’s hand, but her injury-induced retirement puts an unfortunate end to what could have been a successful run to the final eight.
After losing badly in the US Open’s opening round last month, the 21-year-old recovered admirably, defeating two women ranked in the top 50 in her very next match. At the Korea Open, Peyton Stearns and Yuan both lost in straight sets, and Kasatkina improved her perfect record against Raducanu to 3-0.
Despite receiving medical attention during her victory over Yuan, Raducanu was expected to be fully recovered by the time she faced Kasatkina, especially since the quarterfinals were rescheduled from Friday to Saturday due to rain in Seoul.
Even for a fully-fit Raducanu, Kasatkina, the top seed and world No. 13, would have presented a difficult challenge. In their one and only quarterfinal set, she hammered the former US Open champion with four aces, 11 winners, and three of her four break points converted.
After being broken in the opening game of the match, Raducanu converted a break point of her own to tie the score at one. However, things began to go apart after that, and at 4-1 down, she had treatment for her left foot.
It remains to be seen if Raducanu can heal in time for this Wednesday’s China Open, or if she decides to skip the WTA 1000 competition out of concern that it may worsen the condition.
