Emma Raducanu was forced to withdraw from Great Britain's opening United Cup match against Japan in Perth due to a foot injury, casting a shadow over the start of her 2026 season. The 23-year-old pulled out just an hour before her scheduled clash with Naomi Osaka, but her teammates rallied to secure a 2-1 victory in sweltering conditions.
Billy Harris, replacing the injured Jack Draper, opened the tie with a 7-6 (4), 6-3 win over Shintaro Mochizuki. Katie Swan stepped in for Raducanu and performed admirably against the four-time Grand Slam champion before losing 7-6 (4), 6-1. In the decisive mixed doubles, Neal Skupski and Olivia Nicholls defeated Nao Hibino and Yasutaka Uchiyama 7-5, 4-6, 10-7 to seal the win.
Raducanu's injury has troubled her since she ended her 2025 season early in October due to illness and injury. Great Britain captain Tim Henman explained: 'She struggled with her foot for the end of last year. The improvement she's made has been fantastic. She's been practising in London, really only doing static drills. She is very close.' Henman indicated Raducanu's availability for Monday's match against Greece remained uncertain.
The absence of Britain's top players—Draper is still recovering from a left arm bone bruise that has sidelined him for six months—highlighted recurring fitness concerns for the duo. Nevertheless, Harris, ranked 128th, clinched his first United Cup victory, while Swan pushed a higher-ranked opponent. Skupski praised the team's positive communication and support from the bench.
Great Britain now faces Greece, led by Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari, for a place in the quarter-finals. Greece defeated Japan earlier in the tournament.
