Emma Raducanu wilts in Wuhan as heat and frustration take their toll
Emma Raducanu’s Asian swing went from disappointing to disastrous on a stifling Tuesday in Wuhan, where the Briton retired from her first-round match against American Ann Li while trailing 6–1, 4–1.
It was another setback in what has become a run of near-misses and misfortune for the 22-year-old. The conditions in Wuhan were punishing — 31°C heat, nearly 70% humidity, and little relief inside the partially covered show court — and Raducanu looked visibly drained long before she called for the doctor.
After having her blood pressure checked and citing dizziness, she shook her head toward her player box and brought an abrupt end to the match.
“I hope she feels better,” Li said afterwards. “You could tell towards the end she wasn’t moving as much.”
The retirement caps a difficult stretch for Raducanu, whose long-awaited full Asian swing has instead been riddled with frustration. After coming agonizingly close to breakthrough wins in both Seoul and Beijing — holding three match points in each — she arrived in Wuhan looking to reset.
Instead, she never found her rhythm.
Despite breaking Li in the opening game, Raducanu’s forehand betrayed her as the errors piled up. She lost six straight games to surrender the first set, managing just three winners to 15 unforced errors.
Her footwork looked heavy, her serve uncertain, and her timing off by a fraction — small cracks that quickly widened under the Wuhan sun.
The second set began no better. Four double faults in her first service game were somehow survived, but when Li broke twice more to lead 4–1, Raducanu’s legs seemed to give way. She called for a medical timeout, sat with an ice towel draped around her neck, and moments later retired.
It was a subdued end to a match that had promised so much more only a few weeks ago. Raducanu had beaten Li in Eastbourne earlier this season, yet in Wuhan she looked a shadow of that player — flat-footed, exhausted, and perhaps still carrying the mental scars of recent heartbreaks.
The oppressive heat has become a storyline in itself across the Asian swing. A day earlier, tournament officials in Wuhan suspended play on all outdoor courts, and even the main stadium roof was only partially closed during Raducanu’s match to offer minimal shade.
The WTA’s “Extreme Heat Rule,” which allows players a ten-minute break when the wet-bulb temperature exceeds 86.1°F (30°C), was put to the test more than once this week.
