Emma Raducanu forced to retire in final set of epic three-hour match at Guadalajara Open

Reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu was forced to retire after playing the longest match of the WTA season in her first competitive outing since bowing out at the Australian Open.

The No.1 seed was forced to quit after three hours and 36 minutes in the first round of the Guadalajara Open, with Australia’s Daria Saville progressing 5-7 7-6 (4) 4-3.

Raducanu claimed the first set after a tough 80 minutes by bouncing back from an early break to herself break Saville in the final game.

The Briton served for the match at 5-3 in the second but Saville broke back to force a tiebreak which she played cleanly to claim the set.

Both women appeared to be playing through the pain in the decider, with Saville battling leg cramps and Raducanu taking an off-court medical timeout.

The world number 12 returned to the court with her upper left leg taped and played two more games before deciding to retire down a break.

Meanwhile, in Acapulco, Rafael Nadal defeated American Denis Kudla 6-3 6-2 in the first round of the Mexican Open, bringing his winning streak to 11 – the equal best start to an ATP Tour during his career.

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It was a comfortable triumph for the three-time Acapulco champion, as Kudla struggled to keep up and ended the match without a break point.

‘It has been a positive start, a good victory in straight sets. That’s always very positive for the confidence,’ Nadal told ATP after his win.

‘I think I played a very solid match, a good effort today. Of course there are a couple of things that I can do better, but in general terms, I played well so I can’t complain at all.’

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