(Photo credit score: Mike Frey-Imagn Images)
Emma Raducanu of Great Britain withdrew from a marquee United Cup showdown with Naomi Osaka to prioritize recovering from a cussed foot damage forward of the Australian Open.
Osaka beat substitute Katie Swan 7-6 (4), 6-1 on Sunday on the nationwide workforce occasion in Perth, Australia, however Great Britain topped Japan in males’s singles and combined doubles matches to safe a 2-1 general victory.
Great Britain workforce captain Tim Henman mentioned Raducanu was ‘very shut’ to dealing with Osaka and didn’t rule her out of the remainder of the event.
The Brits’ ultimate group matchup on the United Cup, an Australian Open tuneup occasion, comes towards Greece on Monday. Knockout play begins Wednesday and the ultimate is scheduled for subsequent Sunday in Sydney.
The 23-year-old Raducanu is No. 29 within the present WTA rankings. She may very well be seeded on the season’s first main, which will get underway Jan. 18 in Melbourne.
Raducanu famously rocketed out of the qualifying stage to win the 2021 US Open with out dropping a set all event. That stays the one profession title for Radacanu, who didn’t advance past the third spherical of a Grand Slam in 2025.
‘She struggled along with her foot for the top of final yr. The enchancment that she’s made has been improbable,’ Henman advised reporters after Sunday’s Great Britain-Japan match. ‘She’s been practising in London, actually solely doing static drills, to be out on the follow courtroom and shifting and enjoying video games. She could be very shut.’
–Field Level Media