British tennis star Emma Raducanu was left frustrated as persistent rain forced the suspension of her first-round match at the Hobart International on Tuesday evening. The tournament's top seed will have to return on Wednesday to try and secure a victory she had seemed on course for, holding a 6-3, 2-4 lead over Colombia's Camila Osorio when play was halted.
Disrupted Preparation and Tentative Play
This match represents only Raducanu's second competitive outing of the 2026 season, following a defeat to Maria Sakkari at the United Cup last week. The 23-year-old later revealed that a foot injury had severely disrupted her pre-season training, meaning she only began playing points properly after arriving in Australia in late December.
Despite a week of subsequent training, Raducanu's performance against the world number 89 was at times tentative. After a positive start where she used her forehand to dictate play and clinch the first set, her level dipped in the second. Osorio, who was visibly unwell and battling coughing fits, raised her intensity, stepping inside the baseline and taking time away from the Briton.
Rain Halts Raducanu's Fightback
As the Colombian's aggression grew, Raducanu became passive and quickly found herself down a double break at 1-4. She managed to retrieve one of the breaks during a series of rain interruptions, but with the score at 2-4, heavy, sustained rainfall left officials with no option but to postpone the remainder of the match until Wednesday afternoon.
Raducanu will now aim to regroup and close out the match to claim her first win of the new season, a crucial confidence boost ahead of the Australian Open.
Venus Williams Bows Out in Hobart
Earlier in the day, the legendary Venus Williams saw her Australian campaign come to an end with a 6-4, 6-3 defeat to Germany's Tatjana Maria. Williams, 45, had surprised many by making the trip to Australia after previously casting doubt on her participation.
Following a promising three-set loss in Auckland last week, the American struggled to contain her unforced error count against the cunning veteran Maria. The 38-year-old German employed her signature slice-heavy game on both wings, constantly forcing Williams to generate her own pace. The match, featuring a combined age of 83, marked Williams's final outing before her 22nd appearance at the Australian Open in Melbourne.
In other news, Italian star Lorenzo Musetti sparked injury concerns ahead of the year's first Grand Slam after retiring from an exhibition match against Alexander Zverev with a lower back problem. Musetti recently broke into the world's top five for the first time.
