Emma Raducanu’s debut at the Wuhan Open only lasted one match as she retired from her first-round contest against Ann Li in hot and humid conditions. British No. 1 Raducanu was trailing 6-1 4-1 at the time. Play was suspended on the outdoor courts in Wuhan on Monday due to the heat. Naomi Osaka won her opening match, which saw the heat rule enforced after the second set.
Emma Raducanu retired from her first-round match at the Wuhan Open after having her blood pressure and vitals taken by a doctor.
The British No. 1 was trailing 6-1 4-1 against Ann Li in hot and humid conditions when she ended proceedings.
She called a medical time out after double-faulting to fall a double-break down in the second set and the WTA website reported that she retired due to dizziness.
Raducanu was making her debut at the WTA 1000 event in Wuhan and had earlier posted a screenshot on social media showing the temperature was 34c but feels like 37c.
Play was suspended on the outdoor courts on Monday due to the heat and Dayana Yastremska retired in the third set of her opening match against Laura Siegemund.
The heat around China also saw world No. 2 Jannik Sinner retire from the Shanghai Masters due to cramp, and Novak Djokovic vomit in conditions he described as “brutal”.
Raducanu, who was playing her third tournament on the Asia swing, had won the opening game against Li, putting away a volley winner to break.
But Li hit back with six straight games to take the first set.
Raducanu looked to be struggling in the conditions as she double-faulted three times in the opening games of the second set.
She managed to hold serve, but was soon broken and Li opened up a 4-1 lead before the British No. 1 retired.
Raducanu is scheduled to play in two more tournaments in Asia before finishing her 2025 season.
She has accepted a wildcard for the WTA 500 event in Ningbo which starts on October 13 and is entered into the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, which starts on October 20.
She is currently ranked at No. 30 in the world and will be aiming to be in the top 32 to be seeded for the 2026 Australian Open, which starts on January 12.