🔗 Share this article

Emma Raducanu battled through frustrating weather-related delays to overcome Jaqueline Cristian in the opening round of the Hana Bank Korea Open.

Their match was originally set for the first day of the week but was postponed due to wet conditions, and further poor conditions led to another lengthy interruption on the following day. Finally, the two competitors took to the court and it was the British No 1 who emerged victorious with straight sets after a tussle lasting over two hours.

Raducanu controversially chose to withdraw from the national squad for the ongoing Billie Jean King Cup showdown in favour of a wildcard in the Korean capital as she aims to boost her WTA position as the season concludes. Speaking ahead of Britain’s match with Japan, the GB captain described Raducanu’s absence as “regrettable”, but Raducanu will feel her choice has paid off if she can have a strong week.

In her initial outing since a defeat to Elena Rybakina in the last 32 of the US Open, Raducanu had to show her determination to see off Cristian, who is ranked just below her at 41st in the world.

The opening set result masked the full story, with the set lasting 70 minutes and Raducanu saving the majority of break points, battling back from an early deficit with a streak of five games in a row.

Her opponent hit substantially more winners but Raducanu, who committed six double faults, showed resilience during the following set. She came from behind from a break down to secure victory and set up a second-round clash with the former Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova.

“Super happy to have won today,” commented Raducanu after the match. “It was a challenge, I feel like I’ve played this match the last three days. To have pulled through after all the delays, I’m very satisfied with how I came through. Jaqueline is a really tough opponent and had great results recently. Tough conditions, very heavy court, long rallies, long points, so happy to have gotten through.”

Meanwhile, it proved a tough outing for the British men’s player, who suffered a shock defeat against the 304th-ranked Chinese invited player Zhou Yi at the Chengdu Open, with the 20-year-old denying a winning opportunity.