Emma Raducanu will play in her first WTA Tour-level semi-final after securing the spot at the 2024 Nottingham Open following her opponent's withdrawal.
The 2021 US Open champion was supposed to play against the world no. 249, fellow Brit Francesca Jones in the quarter-finals of the 2024 Nottingham Open, a WTA 250 tournament.
For her compatriot, who is 23 years old and peaked at world no. 149 spot in her career, this was a great opportunity to earn some valuable ranking points, in what could have been her only second Tour-level semi-final.
However, Jones won't get a chance to fight for that spot, as she was forced to withdraw from her quarter-final match against Raducanu due to a shoulder injury.was
The match was supposed to start yesterday, on Friday, as players had already completed a coin toss, determining that Jones would serve first. However, it immediately started raining, and the match had to be postponed until today, Saturday, June 15th, 2024.
Yet, it won't be played, as shortly before their match, Jones announced her withdrawal from the tournament, admitting that her shoulder won't allow her to compete in the match.
"Unfortunately today I've had to withdraw from what was an exciting match with Emma. Hopefully, everyone can understand that with the big events coming up, I'm not in a position to be taking many risks, especially with my last couple of years."
"I think it's a massive shame. I've really enjoyed playing this week, and I've played at a good level, but I need to continue to think big picture, which has got me into the place I'm in so far this year."
Raducanu will now want to focus on her semi-final match, which will be played also today, and she will take on current British no. 1, Katie Boulter, wanting to follow up on her previous victory at the Nottingham Open.
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