Great Britain Team Captain Disappointed With Emma Raducanu for Choosing the Korean Open Over the BJK Cup

Emma Raducanu beat Jaqueline Cristian in straight sets to reach the second round of the Korean Open.

Great Britain Team Captain Disappointed With Emma Raducanu for Choosing the Korean Open Over the BJK Cup

Emma Raducanu (via X/The Tennis Letter)

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Great Britain team captain Anne Keothavong has revealed her disappointment with Emma Raducanu‘s decision to choose competing at the Korean Open over representing her country at the Billie Jean King Cup. The 22-year-old decision forced Keothavong to make a quick addition to her team in China.

Raducanu was an integral part of Great Britain’s team last year, helping her country reach the semi-finals at the Finals in November last year. In fact, she didn’t lose a singles match that she played at the tournament throughout last year, but the team was knocked out by runners-up Slovakia in the end.

The former World No.10 was expected to be a leader in the team this year as she is currently the British No.1 on tour. Also, she has been in good form since March this year, reaching the semi-finals of the Citi Open, while also climbing from World No. 60 to No. 33 in the WTA rankings. But she chose to play at the Korean Open rather than at the Billie Jean King Cup.

However, the reason for that was due to the fact that she had reached the quarter-finals of the Korean Open last year. Also, she has revealed that her main goal is to get into the top 30 in the WTA, which will earn her a seeded position in Grand Slam events. She opened her account at the Korean Open with a straight-set win over Jaqueline Cristian.

Meanwhile, Keothavong was forced to call Francesca Jones as a late replacement and she had to travel from Sao Paulo to join Great Britain’s team in China. Britain’s team captain revealed during an interview with The Telegraph that she was disappointed with Raducanu’s decision not to play at the Billie Jean King Cup:

Obviously [it’s] just disappointing not to have your top player here. But look, as I’ve said before, we’re here and we’re ready to go tomorrow. This is a competition that means a lot to all of us and one that we really want to do well together as a team. I’m feeling confident as captain with the players I have here.

Raducanu is yet to win a title this season, despite her inspiring performances on tour this season. She has had to deal with injuries and several setbacks in the past, but this year, she has featured in more tournaments. She will hope to reach the final of the Korean Open, which will certainly help her break into the Top 30.

Emma Raducanu is in the second round of the Korean Open after beating Jaqueline Cristian

Emma Raducanu overcame an emotional breakdown to beat Jaqueline Cristian in the first round of the Korean Open. She began the match poorly and was down 1-3 before winning two consecutive games and then breaking down to tears. But she held firm eventually, beating the Romanian star 6-3, 6-4.

Emma Raducanu
Emma Raducanu (Image via X/British Tennis Players)

She made 33 unforced errors compared to 15 winners and served six double faults throughout the match. During her on-court interview, she admitted that the win was not easy to earn as her opponent made it tough for her:

It hasn’t been easy. I feel like I’ve played this match the last three days. To have pulled through after waiting, I’m super pleased at how I came through. Jaqueline is a really tough opponent and has had great results recently. [They were] tough conditions, very slow, long rallies and long points, so happy to have got through.

Raducanu will face former Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova in the second round of the Korean Open. She’s projected to face top seed and six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek in the quarter-finals. She has never beaten Swiatek in her career and recently fell to the Polish star at the French Open second round.

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