Emma Raducanu suffers “ugly fall”, match against Katie Boulter is interrupted | Tennis | Sport

Emma Raducanu suffered a nasty fall in the semi-finals of her clash against fellow Brit Katie Boulter at the Rothesay Open before her match was suspended due to heavy rain in Nottingham.

The match, which Raducanu entered after her quarter-final opponent was too ill to play, was postponed several times due to rain in the Midlands.

Play will not resume on Saturday and the remainder of the semi-final between Raducanu and Boutler will take place on Sunday, parallel to the other semi-final and the final.

Raducanu won the first set 7-6 in a grueling tiebreak, scoring the final point before play was suspended, with an overhead winner from the 2021 US Open champion taking the set 15-13 before walking to the umpire to speak to him.

The 21-year-old explained that the court had become too wet to play on due to persistent rain. The umpire then came to wipe his hands on the court and agreed with Raducanu by ending the match as Boulter was informed that one side of the court was more slippery than the other and the umpire did not want to risk any injuries.

Despite dressing appropriately for the June weather, the Battle of the Brits offered plenty to the spectators in Nottingham, as Raducanu aimed for three wins in a row for the first time since her return from injury.

She suffered a major scare, however, when she slipped and clutched her leg in pain, but apparently it was just that, as Raducanu was able to return to the field after testing her leg between points.

Although she needed physical therapy and something to drink, she received huge applause from the crowd when she returned to the court to reach a final against Karolina Pliskova or Diane Parry.

And Raducanu, accompanied by an improved serve, fought back against the defending champion to win the only playable set. Boulter led 4-1 in the tiebreak and had three set points, but could not shake off Raducanu and pointed to her head after the win, probably illustrating her strong mentality during the blockbuster duel.