There are query marks over British star Emma Raducanu’s Australian Open marketing campaign after she retired with an obvious ankle pressure in her second-round match on the ASB Traditional in Auckland.
The 2021 US Open champion took solely 22 minutes to brush the primary set 6-Zero in opposition to Slovakian qualifier Viktoria Kusmova however faltered and misplaced the second set 7-5.
Raducanu summoned the coach courtside to closely strap her left ankle in a protracted damage break.
The 20-year-old Raducanu tried to play on, however was unable to finish the primary level of the third set. She was tearful when she got here to the web and acknowledged she couldn’t proceed.
Raducanu was marked as one in all tennis’ hottest stars when she gained at Flushing Meadows. Her profession since has been dogged by accidents. She retired from matches 4 occasions in 2022 and most just lately needed to deal with a wrist damage.
In the meantime, veteran Venus Williams blew a 5-Three last-set lead in a match that stretched over almost seven hours due to rain in dropping to Zhu Lin of China 3-6 6-2 7-5.
The 42-year-old Williams fought via each second of the second-round match which started after midday and ended close to 7 pm, which started outdoor and ended indoors, and which contained 13 service breaks earlier than lastly tipping in favor of Zhu in the previous couple of video games.
Seven-time grand slam champion Williams, beginning her 30th yr on the WTA Tour, gained her first tour match in almost two years when she beat Katie Volynets on Monday within the first spherical of the Auckland event. She performed solely 4 matches in 2022 and hoped to progress to the second spherical of a event for the primary time since 2019.
“It wasn’t nice,” Williams mentioned. “Undoubtedly powerful. I’ve performed a whole lot of matches in my life and I’ve performed via some intense delays nevertheless it was undoubtedly like two separate matches.
“Exterior, it was actually powerful. It was wet, windy. It was tennis nevertheless it was extra about surviving as an alternative of enjoying nice. Indoors, it was utterly totally different however I obtained to hit a whole lot of balls in order that’s necessary.”
Prime-seeded American Coco Gauff will face Zhu within the quarterfinals after her 6-Four 6-Four win over compatriot Sofia Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion.
Seventh-ranked Gauff additionally needed to play indoors and beat Kenin in just below 90 minutes, leveling their head-to-head document after Kenin beat Gauff en path to the Australian Open title.
Danka Kovinic, the seventh seed, beat former champion Lauren Davis 4-6 6-Three 6-2 and qualifier Rebeka Masarova beat Anna Blinkova 6-1 6-4.
