Emma Raducanu advanced to the quarter-finals of the Korea Open with a hard-fought straight-sets victory over China's Yuan Yue in Seoul. The 21-year-old Briton needed seven match points to secure a 6-4, 6-3 win against the eighth seed, who mounted a late fightback.
Raducanu edged a tight opening set, then broke early in the second to take control. She served eight aces in the second set alone, but was broken in the fourth game as Yuan began to find her rhythm. The British number one managed to hold off the pressure and moved closer to victory in a marathon eighth game that featured seven deuces and five missed match points.
A medical timeout earlier in the match did not derail Raducanu, who broke in the final game to close out the contest. She had previously beaten American Peyton Stearns in the last round to set up the meeting with Yuan, in a match that was closely contested in the opening stages before Raducanu levelled at 4-4 and then broke serve.
Reflecting on the performance, Raducanu said: "I think my key to the success today was trying to let go of any frustration that happened. Closing out the match I had a lot of match points and couldn't convert so just staying focused and breaking in that last game."
