Emma Raducanu was forced to retire because of an injury to her glutes during the semifinal of the Korea Open. She was trailing Jelena Ostapenko 4-6, 6-3, 3-0 at the time.
Ostapenko will next play against Ekaterina Alexandrova in the finals on Sunday.
Match Highlights:
The left glute injury ended Raducanus three-win streak. She has not won three matches in a row since her US Open run back in 2021. She had been bidding to win a WTA title in Korea prior to retiring from the semis.
This is the first head to head match between Raducanu and Ostapenko. It started with intensity and Ostapenko managed to save three break points in the opening game and gained a 2-0 lead.
Raducanu managed to bounce back and took the win.
In the second set, Raducanu broke out with a 2-1 lead. After Raducanu took a medical timeout, Ostpenko was able to surge ahead, winning the set and forcing a third.
Early on into the third set, Raducanu announced her retirement.
With this finish, Raducanu rises from 77th in the world rankings to No.66. However, this is her fifth retirement from a match in 15 months and it will be a concern for her team.
Lately, she has been playing in the lower WTA matches and has been doing well enough compared to her string of opening round exits going into the US Open.
Both Ostapenko and Alexandrova are bidding to win their second title of the season. Alexandrova won against Tatjana Maria 6-2, 6-4. This is her second semifinals of the season. She had won s’Hertogenbosch back in June.
