By Chalien Dantes

Emma Raducanu’s return to the court in Wuhan didn’t go to plan. The British No. 1 was forced to retire from her first-round match against American Ann Li on Monday, after visibly struggling in sweltering conditions that pushed her to the edge.

Raducanu, who had shown signs of fatigue early in the match, trailed 6-1, 4-1 when she called for medical attention. Her blood pressure and temperature were checked before she eventually walked off the court, with the WTA later confirming dizziness as the cause.

From the start, Raducanu looked out of sorts. She actually broke Li in the opening game, but things quickly unravelled. The American stormed through the next six games, barely dropping a point on her serve, and wrapped up the first set in less than half an hour.

Raducanu managed to hold to start the second, despite three double faults, but it was clear she was battling more than just her opponent. She couldn’t convert on two break points in the following game, and errors began piling up. Li broke again, then cruised to a double break lead after another double fault from the Brit.

As the heat pushed past 34°C, Raducanu looked drained, both physically and mentally. A medical timeout followed, but there was no recovery in sight. Minutes later, her match and her hopes of a deeper run in Wuhan were over.

The tough exit is a blow for Raducanu, who’s looking to build momentum heading into the 2025 season. A strong showing here could’ve helped her climb into a seeding position for the Australian Open in January.

Raducanu will now hope for a better showing in her next scheduled match against Russia’s ninth seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.