Emma Raducanu, the No. 8 seed, battled past Jaqueline Cristian 6-3, 6-4 to reach the second round of the Korea Open in Seoul. The match lasted 2 hours and 2 minutes and had been pushed from Tuesday to Wednesday because of rain. Raducanu, a late wild card, trailed 3-1 in both sets before turning each around.
Match Highlights and Key Moments
Cristian began fast, piling up seven winners before Raducanu had one by the first changeover. Over the match, Cristian struck 25 winners to Raducanu’s 15 but was undone by 38 unforced errors and missed chances. Raducanu saved the first seven break points she faced before Cristian converted her eighth. In a first set packed with deuce games, the key moment came at 5-3 when Cristian’s double faults and forehand errors handed over the decisive break.
The second set followed a similar pattern. Cristian moved ahead early after two Raducanu double faults but could not hold the lead. From 0-2 down, Raducanu steadied, found a sharper forehand, and tightened her play in longer rallies. At 4-4, Cristian faltered again with a run of mistakes, and Raducanu closed it out after saving a break point in the final game.
Raducanu will face fellow major champion Barbora Krejcikova next in their first career meeting as she targets a return to the quarterfinals for a second straight year. This matchup promises to be an exciting encounter as both players have demonstrated their prowess on the court.
Elsewhere, No. 6 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia defeated Korean wild card Back Dayeon 6-4, 6-3, sealing the win on her third match point after Back cut a 0-5 deficit to 3-5 in the second set. No. 5 seed Diana Shnaider overcame qualifier Caty McNally 2-6, 6-2, 6-4, finishing the suspended match despite needing five match points. Two second-round results were also completed: Maya Joint beat No. 7 seed Sofia Kenin 6-3, 6-1 in 63 minutes to make her second WTA 500 quarterfinal of the season, and No. 3 seed Clara Tauson defeated Eva Lys 6-2, 7-6 (4) to reach her seventh quarterfinal of 2025.