Emma Raducanu's North American swing in question after injury in Guadalajara

Emma Raducanu has suffered an injury blow after she confirmed she has withdrawn from the WTA tournament in Monterrey next week.

The British number one suffered a minor injury to her left leg during a brutally tough first-round match against Daria Saville in Guadalajara earlier this week. She retired with the problem during the third set having already played for more than three hours and will miss next week’s Abierto GNP Seguros.

The bigger concern, though, is whether Raducanu will be fit for the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells starting on March 9, which is one of the biggest tournaments outside the grand slams. That will depend on how her recovery goes over the next week. As a seed, the 19-year-old would receive a first-round bye and would not play her first match until March 11 or 12.

It is another physical setback for Raducanu, who has been unable to find any momentum since her stunning US Open triumph. Her pre-season training in December was disrupted by a bout of Covid-19 and she then struggled with a blister on her hand at the Australian Open. She prioritised a block of training following the tournament in Melbourne before returning this week only to fail to complete a match.