Emma Raducanu reached the quarter-finals of the Korea Open after easing to a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Belgium’s Yanina Wickmayer on Thursday. The British No 1 and tournament sixth seed took one hour and 40 minutes in Seoul to continue rebuilding after her recent first-round exit from the US Open, the event that propelled her to stardom last year.
Last week’s Slovenia Open lasted only a round longer, but in Seoul she displayed the resolve needed to overcome a fightback from Wickmayer as a 4-1 lead in the second set ebbed away.
Wickmayer had dropped to 460 in the rankings when she took a spell out of the game after the birth of her first child in 2021, but she was a dangerous opponent who grew stronger in the match.
Raducanu, who faces Magda Linette of Poland in the last eight, was unable to make the most of a break point in the third game but she dominated the fifth, winning without dropping a point to gain a crucial foothold in the opening set.
Her earlier composure deserted her when next serving and she doubled-faulted at the crucial moment to concede the lead.
But Wickmayer wobbled on her serve once again and Raducanu took full control of the ninth game, taking the set through a mixture of commanding shots and errors from her opponent.
Quick Guide
How do I sign up for sport breaking news alerts?
Show
- Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhones or the Google Play store on Android phones by searching for ‘The Guardian’.
- If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re on the most recent version.
- In the Guardian app, tap the yellow button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications.
- Turn on sport notifications.
It took grit, an ace and an excellent forehand for Raducanu to preserve her advantage as the second set opened with an 11-minute game and in a flash she had eased 3-0 ahead.
A collapse followed as 3-0 became 4-3 and despite a superb backhand passing shot executed on the run, Raducanu was coming under heavy pressure
Every point had become a battleground but match point arrived and when Wickmayer sent a shot long Raducanu was through to the last eight.
