Emma Raducanu needed treatment at the end of the first set; she has been suffering from issues with her feet due to the demands of clay courts; Great Britain now trail in the Billie Jean King Cup tie against the Czech Republic; Harriet Dart must win her singles match to keep the tie alive
Last Updated: 16/04/22 12:20pm
Emma Raducanu suffered significant blister issues on her right foot, which led to a 6-1 6-1 loss against Marketa Vondrousova in Great Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup tie against Czech Republic.
Raducanu struggled from early on and conceded the first set in just 26 minutes. She received treatment to her right foot after and returned to court.
Despite treatment, the British No 1 found it increasingly difficult to move around the clay court in the second set. She showed the resilience that has become one of her trademarks, but could not halt the power and prowess of Vondrousova.
Great Britain now trail the Czech Republic 2-1 in this best-of-five match Billie Jean King Cup Qualifier tie
Raducanu’s team-mate Harriet Dart will now play in the fourth singles rubber against Linda Fruhvirtova. She must win to keep the tie alive and send it to the doubles. Dart lost 6-1 6-0 to Vondrousova on Friday.
Raducanu made her debut in the competition on Friday and was victorious in her first professional match on clay. She beat Tereza Martincova 7-5 7-5 however Saturday’s contest was a different story for the 19-year-old.
In extremely cold conditions, Raducanu struggled from early on and a medical timeout between sets did little to ease her issues.
The British No 1 was barely able to move for several balls in the second set, wincing and limping between points.
Vondrousova, who is ranked 32 but has the potential to go a lot higher, showed her love for clay-court tennis and prowess throughout the contest.
She secured the first set after only 25 minutes and throughout used a lethal combination of power and precise drop-shots to give Raducanu no way back, given her physical issues.