Emma Raducanu opted to withdraw from Team GB’s Billie Jean King Cup Finals squad to play at the Korea Open. But her decision seems to have backfired after she was sent packing by 2024 Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova in the last 16 after blowing three match points, while Team GB won their quarter-final tie against Japan.
Raducanu was named in the squad for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in July, with Katie Boulter, Sonay Kartal and Jodie Burrage also selected. But after linking up with new coach Francisco Roig, the 22-year-old chose to head to South Korea instead in an effort to boost her singles ranking. She accepted a wildcard into the WTA 500 event and defeated Jaqueline Cristian in her opening match on Wednesday before going head-to-head with Krejcikova.
Raducanu dominated much of her match against Krejcikova, with the Czech star handing the Briton the opening set by serving a double fault at 4-5, 30-40.
The 2021 US Open champion then raced ahead in the second set but wasn’t able to close out victory while serving for the match at 5-2 as she was ultimately broken.
Krejcikova eventually forced the second set into a tiebreak, with Raducanu unable to convert two more match points as the 29-year-old drew level at one set apiece.
And the Brit was then overwhelmed by the two-time Grand Slam champion in the third set as she won just one more game.
Raducanu has enjoyed successful runs at the Korea Open in the past and reached the semi-finals of the event in 2022.
She has enjoyed an improved season on the court in 2025, with an appearance in the Washington semi-finals among her highlights.
And the talented ace progressed to the third round at Wimbledon in July, before losing to Aryna Sabalenka. But she may have wished she linked up with her British team-mates for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in China after her defeat to Krejcikova.
Sonay Kartal defeated Ena Shibahara 6-3, 7-6 in Team GB’s first singles match in Shenzhen, before Katie Boulter overcame Moyuka Uchijima 6-2, 6-1 to seal the tie.
And Boulter explained after setting up a showdown with the USA in the semi-finals on Saturday: “Sonay put in a clinical performance so she makes it easy to follow.
“I stayed out there as much as possible and tried to focus on myself. I am super happy to be through and it is nice to have some British fans here.
“I am so pleased. This team qualified earlier in the year and we showed a lot of heart. The team deserves to be here and hopefully we can go to the final. Hopefully this is our time now.”