Charity match fiasco as Emma Raducanu withdraws from Donna Vekic match at Australian Open after fans made journey to Melbourne

Tennis fans were left disappointed as the first charity match on Rod Laver Arena was cancelled at the Australian Open between Emma Raducanu and Donna Vekic.

Firstly Naomi Osaka withdrew from the match earlier on Monday with this being noticed due to placeholders changing to Donna Vekic on the broadcasters. But Raducanu was the second part to withdraw citing a little bit of soreness after a two hour practice session.

Russell Fuller

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So the first Rod Laver Arena charity match has been scrapped. First Naomi Osaka pulled out, to be replaced by Donna Vekic, until Emma Raducanu decided it would be smarter to rest having woken up with a “little soreness” after a 2 hour practice last night

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But despite being for charity, some fans were not amused. The tournament released a tweet saying that refunds had been issued to those who had tickets for the near sold out match featuring the former US Open champion on Rod Laver Arena.

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Naomi Osaka withdraws from charity match with Emma Raducanu at Australian Open, replaced by Donna Vekic

Some commented that not everyone would've got the texts and due to proximity to when the match was due to begin some would've already made the journey and taken the day off work to be told it wouldn't happen. Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic are two of the names also in action this week as is Aryna Sabalenka. Raducanu is currently slated to play Kooyong this week too with Mirra Andreeva a mooted opponent and Paula Badosa also recently announced, but in the case of those wanting to see her before the Australian Open in Melbourne, they were left disappointed.

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"Could win a couple of Slams this year": Tennis fans left pleasantly surprised by Emma Raducanu's comeback win in Auckland

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Unfortunately, tonight’s (January 9) Charity Match will not take place. Anyone who has purchased a ticket will receive an automatic refund from Ticketmaster directly into their registered account within 3-5 business days. Ticket holders can still access Melbourne Park today for…

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