Emma Raducanu battles through to Korea Open last 16 after testing start

Emma Raducanu fought hard to win against American player Peyton Stearns in the first round of the Korea Open. In a thrilling match filled with 12 service breaks, the former US Open champion emerged victorious after two hours and 43 minutes, clinching the match with scores of 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5) in Seoul.

This was Raducanu’s first win since she defeated the same opponent in Washington at the end of July. The 21-year-old participated in just one tournament in August, which was the US Open, where she lost to Sofia Kenin in the first round. Following that loss, Raducanu felt quite emotional and acknowledged that she had mismanaged her schedule, expressing a desire to play more matches.

She has dedicated herself to a busy schedule for the season's conclusion and started off on a good note in Seoul, although she encountered a few bumps in the road. She was ahead 4-1 in the first set and had a chance to serve at 40-0, but then dropped four consecutive games. Afterward, she missed two opportunities to close out the set at 6-5, eventually winning it in a tie-break.

In the second set, the players continued to serve until Raducanu managed to break her opponent's serve and took a 5-3 lead. However, she still struggled with her own serving. Stearns, who is ranked 22 spots higher at 48th in the world, won three games in a row but faltered when it mattered most, losing her serve at a critical point.

This led to another tie-break, and this time Raducanu successfully clinched the win, setting up a match against the Chinese eighth seed, Yuan Yue.

Raducanu expressed her pride in advancing to the next round, mentioning the challenging conditions, saying, "The humidity was quite high, and the ball was unpredictable. It was a difficult match to overcome."

"I haven't participated in many games recently, and Peyton is an excellent player who is currently performing very well."