British No 1 beats Jaqueline Cristian 6-3, 6-4 amid delays
Captain Keothavong called BJK absence disappointing
Emma Raducanu overcame the frustration of lengthy weather-related delays to beat Jaqueline Cristian in the opening round of the Korea Open.
The contest had been scheduled for Tuesday but was postponed because of rain, and more wet weather then caused another substantial delay on Wednesday. But Raducanu and Cristian were finally able to take to the court and it was the British No 1 who came out on top 6-3, 6-4 after a tussle lasting two hours and two minutes.
Raducanu controversially chose to pull out of Great Britain’s team for this week’s Billie Jean King Cup finals in favour of taking a wildcard in Seoul as she strives to boost her ranking over the final weeks of the season. Speaking in Shenzhen before Britain’s match with Japan on Thursday, the GB captain, Anne Keothavong, described Raducanu’s absence as disappointing, but the 22-year-old will feel her decision has paid off if she can have a strong week.
