Raducanu pulls out of Madrid before first round

[April 27, 2023]  MADRID (Reuters) - Former U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu withdrew from the Madrid Open shortly before she was due on court to play Viktoriya Tomova in the first round on Wednesday. 

The 20-year-old British player cited an injury to her right hand as the reason for her withdrawal.

Tennis - WTA 500 - Stuttgart Open - Porsche Arena, Stuttgart, Germany - April 18, 2023 Britain's Emma Raducanu reacts during her round of 32 match against Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko REUTERS/Angelika Warmuth

It is the latest setback for Raducanu who has struggled for form and fitness since her fairytale run to the title at Flushing Meadows in 2021 as an 18-year-old qualifier.

She lost in the first round in Miami and Stuttgart and by missing Madrid she will likely fall outside the top 100 in the WTA rankings for the first time since her stunning breakthrough.

(Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Christian Radnedge)

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