Raducanu out of Ningbo Open after foot injury

Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from next week’s WTA tournament in Ningbo, China, but is still hoping to be fit to play again before the end of the season.

The 21-year-old sprained ligaments in her foot during the Korea Open in Seoul in September, and retired after losing the first set of her quarter-final to Daria Kasatkina.

She was unable to play in the WTA 1,000 events in Beijing and Wuhan and is now targeting the Hong Kong Open, which starts on 28 October.

That would represent Raducanu’s final chance to compete before the season-ending Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Malaga.

Great Britain are due to play their first-round match against Germany on 15 November.

Raducanu is ranked 57th in the world, but her climb up the rankings has been checked by the injury and the decision to play just one tournament between Wimbledon and the US Open this season.

Having reached the second round of the Australian Open in January, Raducanu decided to skip the French Open to focus on her fitness.

She reached the fourth round at Wimbledon to return to the world's top 100 but was beaten in the first round of the US Open by American Sofia Kenin in August.