Emma Raducanu: Great Britain star withdraws from Billie Jean King Cup ahead of quarter-final clash with Japan, in favour of Korea Open

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Emma Raducanu has decided to withdraw from the Great Britain squad for the Billie Jean King Cup quarter-final with Japan after accepting a wildcard place at the Korea Open. The 22-year-old now sits at 36th in the world rankings and is looking to secure herself a seeded place at the Australian Open in January. Francesca Jones has been called up in her place for the clash with Japan.

Raducanu says top players 'really lock in' against her after Rybakina loss

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Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from the Great Britain squad for the Billie Jean King Cup quarter-final showdown against Japan after choosing to compete at the Korea Open.

Raducanu was named in the British team alongside Katie Boulter, Jodie Burrage and Sonay Kartal for the Japan clash on September 18.

The British No. 1 has instead accepted a wildcard place at the WTA 500 Korea Open, which will take place in Seoul between September 15 and 21.

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It is the third time Raducanu has competed in the tournament, reaching the quarter-finals last year and the semi-finals in 2022 – missing out on a place in the final when having to retire against top seed Jelena Ostapenko.

There was general excitement around Raducanu being part of the British team, not least with four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka part of the Japanese quartet.

Twelve-time major winner Bill Jean King herself spoke of her anticipation of Raducanu competing in the tournament.

"Raducanu is very articulate as well, she’s very good at getting up and speaking, covering a lot of subjects - you can tell she thinks about a lot of things compared to a lot of the players," King said.

"I think we’re really lucky to have her, but she likes it, she likes playing for her country.

"If I were her, I’d be pretty excited. She’s playing very well, and the main thing is she’s injury-free, her body’s healthy again."

World No. 89 Francesca Jones has been named as Raducanu’s replacement, but captain Anne Keothavong can select one more player should she choose, ahead of the team travelling to Shenzen, China, next week.

Following Raducanu’s decision, the LTA released a statement which said: "Of course we are disappointed. However, we believe we have a great team and we're looking forward to competing in Shenzhen."

There has been a notable upturn in Raducanu’s recent results, reaching the third round at both Wimbledon and the US Open, losing out to Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina, respectively.

Emma Raducanu is now working with Francisco Roig, formerly coach of Rafael Nadal

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The 22-year-old impressed at the Citi Open, reaching the semi-finals and the collective improvement has seen her rise to No. 36 in the world rankings.

The former world No. 10 appointed Rafael Nadal’s ex-coach Francisco Roig following Wimbledon and having continued to flourish, it seems the Spaniard will remain part of her team for the foreseeable future.

"Right now we’re working through to the end of the year, and I’m looking forward to just getting back to work really," said Raducanu.

"It’s only been three weeks, but I think it’s been a pretty successful three weeks in the sense of we’ve made good improvement, and I think there are certain parts of my game which have gotten better for sure."

Raducanu is eyeing up a seeded place at the Australian Open in January and will be hoping to push for similar success as her previous two entries in Seoul.

Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek and runner-up Amanda Anisimova are both scheduled to join Raducanu in Seoul.

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