Emma Raducanu fought back tears on Wednesday in a peculiar first-round win over Jacqueline Christian at the Korea Open.
Her emotions boiled up midway through the first set, as she missed a series of first serves and also netted a forehand in the seventh game. But it was never quite clear whether this was performance anxiety or some other underlying issue.
The British No 1’s decision to play in Seoul came amid criticism from Billie Jean King Cup captain Anne Keothavong, who said Raducanu’s decision to pull out of the tournament was “disappointing”.
Speaking at the end of the match – which she eventually closed out by a 6-3, 6-4 margin – Raducanu merely made reference to the rain delays which have ruined the tournament’s schedule and left everyone waiting impatiently for their moment on court.
“I’m happy to have won today,” she told the on-court interviewer. “It hasn’t been easy, you know. I feel like I’ve played this match [three times] in the last three days so to pull through after waiting, I’m super pleased with how I came through. Tough conditions, very slow long rallies, long points.”
