Serena Williams v Emma Raducanu: Fans demand refunds after match re-scheduled

Tennis fans are demanding refunds from Cincinnati Masters organisers after the blockbuster clash between Emma Raducanu and Serena Williams was moved from Monday to Tuesday.

Williams recently announced her imminent retirement from the game and is likely to put down her racquet for good after this year’s US Open. 

Her farewell tour got underway at the Canadian Open last week, but the 40-year-old was knocked out in the second round by Olympic champion Belinda Bencic. 

The Cincinnati Masters is likely to be the penultimate tournament Williams plays and she had been drawn against none other than Raducanu, who will defend her US Open title later this month. 

Raducanu has never faced Williams before and fans are understandably desperate to watch the two go head-to-head for what could be the first and only time. 

The match was initially scheduled for Monday, and tickets allegedly cost upwards of £150, with some paying inflated prices in order to secure seats for the mouth-watering tie. 

Yet, organisers re-scheduled the contest for Tuesday –– meaning those who paid above the odds for Monday tickets, could no longer watch the match. 

Tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg wrote on Twitter that the situation was unfair and that fans should be entitled to their money back. 

“Really poor of #CincyTennis to announce back on Friday that Serena-Raducanu was on Monday night…and then not put Serena-Raducanu on Monday night,” he said. 

“That should be a refundable situation, given the interest (and prices, surely) around Serena’s farewell tour.

“Scheduling being unknowable in advance is a massive weak point of  tennis tournaments, but if you are going to make a rare promise to fans like that once the draw comes out, you gotta honour it or give