Emma Raducanu’s hopes for a swift return to the court following her recent ankle injury have been delayed, as she will now miss a second consecutive tournament.
The world No. 54 sustained the injury during her promising run to the quarterfinals at the Korea Open two weeks ago, where she had been aiming to return for the Wuhan Open. However, that plan has fallen through.
Raducanu first required treatment on her ankle during her round of 16 match against Yuan Yue at the WTA 500 event in Seoul but still managed to secure a straight-set victory over the eighth seed. She was visibly in pain during her quarterfinal match against Daria Kasatkina and retired after losing the first set 6-1.
Originally scheduled to compete in this week’s WTA 1000 China Open, Raducanu revealed on social media that her injury was more serious than initially believed. She wrote: “Last week in Seoul, I sprained some ligaments in my foot, which unfortunately need more time to heal. It means I can’t play in Beijing, but I hope to be back competing as soon as I can ❤️.”
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Her plans for a quick recovery have been further delayed as she has now withdrawn from qualifying for the Wuhan Open. This would have been her first qualifying event since the 2021 US Open, as her current ranking wasn’t high enough for direct entry into the main draw. The Wuhan Open features a 56-player singles draw, with only the top 44 players receiving direct entry.
This injury setback postpones Raducanu’s goal of returning to the top 50 in the WTA Rankings. However, there’s still time for her to achieve that goal before the end of the year.
Emma Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion, began this year’s Wimbledon ranked No. 135 but broke into the top 100 after reaching the fourth round of the grass-court major. She has steadily climbed the rankings since then.
After advancing to the quarterfinals of the Citi Open in Washington D.C. in early August, Raducanu rose to No. 69, and her quarterfinal run at the Korea Open propelled her to her current position of No. 54.
Raducanu’s goal of breaking into the top 50 is still achievable in the coming months, depending on her recovery from her ankle injury. She has signed up for several upcoming tournaments, including the Ningbo Open (October 14-20), Guangzhou Open (October 21-27), and the Hong Kong Open (October 28-November). With no ranking points to defend for the remainder of the year, a few wins could help her rise further in the rankings.
For the 2024 season, Raducanu holds a 20-13 record, with one semi-final appearance and four quarter-final finishes so far.