Raducanu Battles Through Delays and Emotion to Reach Korea Open Second Round

SME News Europe. Emma Raducanu overcame a rain-disrupted schedule and a testing first set to defeat Jaqueline Cristian in the Korea Open first round, booking her place in a much-anticipated clash with Barbora Krejcikova.The British No. 1 prevailed 6-3, 6-4 in a match that was originally set for Tuesday but was pushed to late Wednesday after heavy rain in Seoul. The contest lasted just over two hours and saw Raducanu show both resilience and composure in challenging conditions.Raducanu, who has faced criticism in recent days after withdrawing from Great Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup Finals squad, admitted the stop-start nature of the build-up made the win even more satisfying.> “I’m super happy to have won,” Raducanu said afterwards. “It hasn’t been easy. I feel like I’ve been playing this match for three days. To have pulled through after waiting, I’m really pleased. Jaqueline is a tough opponent and has been playing very well recently. The conditions were tricky – slow, with long rallies – so I’m just happy to have got through.”The 22-year-old appeared visibly emotional in the first set, nearly in tears after a forehand error handed Cristian two break points with the score at 3-3. But Raducanu rallied, held serve, and went on to secure the opener 6-3 in one hour and seven minutes. She then established control early in the second set, breaking Cristian twice before sealing victory with a final break in the ninth game.The 2021 US Open champion will now meet Krejcikova, another former Grand Slam winner, as she looks to reach the Korea Open quarter-finals for the second consecutive year.Elsewhere on the ATP Tour, British No. 1 Cameron Norrie suffered a shock defeat at the Chengdu Open, falling 6-7 (3), 6-4, 7-6 (2) to 304th-ranked Chinese wildcard Zhou Yi. The 20-year-old Zhou saved a match point before completing the biggest win of his career.> “I’ve been waiting a whole year to come back here,” Zhou told Sky Sports after the match. “I did it on my own this time and I’m so happy, I cannot explain it. It’s been a tough year, but mentally I’ve improved a lot. Maybe that’s why I was able to come through today.”Raducanu’s next test against Krejcikova promises to be one of the marquee matchups of the Korea Open, with both players eager to build momentum heading into the closing stretch of the season