Top seed Jelena Ostapenko progressed to her third WTA final in 2022 as her semi-final opponent, Emma Raducanu, retired due to injury while trailing 6-4, 3-6, 0-3.
The British No. 1 played some exquisite tennis in the first set. Raducanu began the second set on a strong note but an injury resulted in her taking a medical time-out. Following the injury, the sixth seed did not move too well and the former French Open champion got momentum on her side to turn things around in her favor. Ostapenko won five out of the last six games to level things up.
In the third set, Raducanu slowed down considerably as the Latvian star took a 3-0 lead. Eventually, the former world No. 10 retired as Ostapenko advanced to the final in Seoul for the first time since her title-winning campaign in 2017. She will take on the No. 2 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the final on Sunday.
Raducanu reached her first final since the US Open 2021 triumph and looked quite impressive throughout the tournament. However, when form finally came her way, her other old nemesis – injury, stopped her in her tracks. This is the fourth time Raducanu has retired during a match this year. The end to the tournament might have been unfortunate but Raducanu’s performance should give her and her coach, Dmitry Tursunov, something to build on.
Let’s take a look at how fans reacted following the match between two former Grand Slam champions – Jelena Ostapenko and Emma Raducanu.
More Tennis news
Follow our dedicated Tennis page for instant Tennis news and updates