Emma Raducanu unable to finish Qatar Open match 48 hours after Transylvania final

Emma Raducanu retired in the third set of her first-round match at the Qatar Open against Colombia’s Camila Osorio, following a tightly contested battle in which the Brit initially dominated, but gradually allowed the South American to work her way back into the match — eventually taking the lead in the third set, shortly before Raducanu’s retirement.

The former US Open champion arrived in Qatar with very little time to adapt ahead of her debut, considering her campaign the previous week at the Transylvania Open, where she reached a final again for the first time in more than four years — although she ultimately fell to local favourite Sorana Cirstea.

Barely 48 hours passed between the final played in Romania and her first-round match in Doha, and at first it appeared that Raducanu had carried over the form she showed the previous week — where she recorded four consecutive victories for the first time since her title run at Flushing Meadows.

At the start of the match, Raducanu looked full of confidence in her strokes, taking an early break and holding strong service games that pushed her out to a 3-0 lead. Osorio reacted and managed to hold serve for the first time, but Raducanu remained in control of the exchanges. The Brit even secured a double break, moving ahead to 5-1 and serving for the set. Osorio fought back and recovered one of the breaks, but Raducanu ultimately claimed the set with her third break of the match to go up 6-2.

In the second set, things began to look more complicated for the Brit, who immediately faced three break points against her but managed to escape trouble. It was a well-fought contest from both sides, featuring several long rallies, and a determined Osorio was the one who managed to take the lead with a break in the fifth game. The Colombian held firm on her serve from that point on to secure the set 6-4.

The third set began with Osorio quickly earning an early break against an erratic Raducanu, who then called for the physio after the game ended. Her vital signs were checked and the Brit returned to the court to continue the third set. However, Raducanu did not remain on court for much longer, as Osorio comfortably held her service game and moved ahead 2-0.

It was at that point that Raducanu, showing signs of discomfort after having her vital signs and blood pressure checked, ultimately retired from the match while her opponent was leading in the third set. Osorio secured her place in the second round in Doha — coming through qualifying — and will face Czech player Katerina Siniaková in the next round, who caused an upset in the first round by defeating Clara Tauson (11th seed).