Raducanu waits out the rain to earn Korean win

Emma Raducanu patiently waited out a day of rain to come back on Wednesday for a move into the second round of the WTA Seoul event.

The Brit whose decision to skip BJK Cup play in order to earn WTA ranking points paid off with a 6-3, 6-4 defeat of Jaqueline Cristian.

Victory required two hours on court  for the last-minute wildcard recipient who rallied from 3-1 deficits in both sets to advance on her first match point.

The match was originally scheduled for Tuesday, which turned into a washout day; Raducanu next plays fellow Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova.

“It hasn’t been easy — I feel like I’ve played this match for the last three days,” Raducanu said. “To have pulled through after waiting, I’m super pleased with how I came through. 

“Tough conditions, very slow – long rallies, long points. So happy to have gotten through.”

Raducanu was outhit by her Romanian opponent, with Cristian striking 25 winners to 15 for the Brit.

The winner salvaged seven straight break points before losing serve on Cristian’s eighth attempt with the Romanian weighed down by 38 unforced errors.