Emma Raducanu laid low by hip injury
Emma Raducanu’s disappointing run since her shock US Open triumph continued at the Guadalajara Open when the top seed retired with a hip injury in her first round match against Australia’s Daria Saville.
This stadium looks familiar 😉
A warm welcome back to 🇲🇽 Guadalajara with an @EmmaRaducanu winner ☄️#AbiertoAKRON pic.twitter.com/CMPnhxIfIt
— wta (@WTA) February 23, 2022
Raducanu had won the first set 7-5 and served for the match at 5-3 but the 610th ranked Saville broke her and went on to level the match in a tie-break 7-6 (7/4).
Going the distance under the lights 🌙
🇦🇺 @Daria_gav clinches the tiebreak against Raducanu in Guadalajara!#AbiertoAKRON pic.twitter.com/0GiDcndIeh
— wta (@WTA) February 23, 2022
Raducanu called it a day when a break down at 3-4 in the deciding set after 3 hours and 36 minutes — the longest match so far on the WTA Tour this year.
Their tussle edged the 3 hours and 9 minutes which Montenegro’s Danka Kovinic took to beat Jang Su-Jeong 6-3 2-6 6-4 in the first round of the Australian Open.
In the longest match of the 2022 season, Daria Saville earns her 1st WTA main draw win since 2021 Australian Open after Emma Raducanu is forced to retire at 5-7, 7-6(4), 4-3 after 3 hours and 36 minutes.
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) February 23, 2022
Raducanu’s latest setback follows her three set second round loss in the Australian Open to the 98th ranked Kovinic, when the Briton hindered by a blister on her right hand.