- Briton beats Peyton Stearns after two tie-breaks
- ‘It was very humid, the ball was bouncing a lot’
Emma Raducanu battled to victory over the American Peyton Stearns in the opening round of the Korea Open. A topsy-turvy contest featuring 12 breaks of serve went the way of the former US Open champion after two hours and 43 minutes as she wrapped up a 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5) win in Seoul.
It was Raducanu’s first victory since she beat the same player in Washington at the end of July, with the 21-year-old’s only tournament in August coming at the US Open, where she lost to Sofia Kenin in the opening round. Raducanu was emotional after that defeat and admitted she had made a mistake with her scheduling and wanted to play more matches.