Tennis news today: Emma Raducanu makes a winning start at the Korea Open, top two seeds Paula Badosa and Caroline Garcia knocked out of the Pan Pacific Open | September 21, 2022
Emma Raducanu began her campaign in Seoul with a straight-sets win over Moyuka Uchijima. Paula Badosa and Caroline Garcia, the top two seeds at the Pan Pacific Open, went down to Chinese players Qinwen Zheng and Zhang Shuai respectively in the second round.
Daria Saville, who picked up an injury during her first-round match against Naomi Osaka yesterday, revealed that she has torn her ACL. World No. 1 Iga Swiatek will now be represented by IMG, one of the most prolific management agencies in the game.
Roger Federer has stated that he will only play a solitary doubles match at the Laver Cup, which is set to be his farewell tournament. Here's a round-up of the day's headlines:
Emma Raducanu overcomes a brief stumble towards the end to get past Moyuka Uchijima at the Korea Open
Emma Raducanu defeated Moyuka Uchijima 6-2, 6-4 to kick off her Korea Open campaign with a win. She remained in control for most of the match, but almost let it slip out of her hands towards the end. Serving for the match at 5-0, Raducanu held a couple of match points, but got broken and lost the next three games as well.
Moyuka had another break point to make it 5-5, but Emma Raducanu was finally able to close out the proceedings. The sixth seed will take on Yanina Wickmayer in the second round.
Paula Badosa and Caroline Garcia crash out of the Pan Pacific Open
It was a day of upsets in Tokyo as the top two seeds were shown the door. Top seed Paula Badosa was completely outplayed by Qinwen Zheng, losing 6-3, 6-2. Second seed Caroline Garcia, on the other hand, played a fantastic match, but still came up short. Zhang Shuai managed to withstand her opponent's barrage of aces and winners to win 4-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5).
Garcia hammered 27 aces and 64 winners, while winning 11 more points overall as well. Both players needed to perform well here to solidify their chances of qualifying for the WTA Finals. However, their early exits leave the door open for their competitors to catch up.
Daria Saville to be sidelined for months after a torn ACL
Naomi Osaka and Daria Saville's first-round clash at the Pan Pacific Open ended on a horrific note as the Australian was injured just minutes into the match. She was forced to retire from the contest and after undergoing further tests, revealed that she has torn her ACL.
Torn ACL. 2013 flashbacks
Saville just made her way back up the rankings this year after injuries sidlelined her for the past two years. She was ranked outside the top 400 at the start of the season and is currently ranked No. 55. However, her latest injury will once again prevent her from competing for a long time.
Iga Swiatek signs with IMG
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek has enjoyed tremendous success this year and further cemented her dominance of the WTA by winning the US Open recently. She has established herself as a superstar thanks to her numerous achievements and has taken another step towards promoting herself as a household name.
According to Polish media, Swiatek will now be represented by IMG, a leading sports management agency. Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz are among some of their current clients.
Roger Federer to retire following a doubles match at the Laver Cup
20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer will play the last match of his career at the upcoming Laver Cup. While fans hoped to see him in action throughout the weekend, the Swiss confirmed in a press conference that he'll only play a doubles match on Friday.
Roger Federer leaving his seat in the media centre - he says he is planning to play just one Laver Cup match (a doubles on Friday), and that London seemed an ideal place to go out as it’s perhaps “the most special place” in his career. https://t.co/2jnni5Toxz
The Laver Cup will be held from September 23-25. Federer will be joined by plenty of high-profile names in the tournament, including Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.