Emma Raducanu’s much-anticipated debut at the 2025 Wuhan Open came to a sudden halt on October 7, as the British number one was forced to retire midway through her first-round match against American Ann Li. In a tournament already defined by sweltering conditions and the relentless demands of the WTA 1000 circuit, Raducanu’s early exit was a stark reminder of how even the world’s best can be undone by the elements.
The match began with promise for Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion, who immediately broke Li’s serve in the opening game. But the momentum shifted dramatically. Li, ranked 46th in the world, responded with a barrage of forehand winners and aces, rattling off six straight games to claim the first set 6-1. As Raducanu’s forehand began to falter and errors mounted, the American’s confidence soared. “She just kept coming at me with those forehands and I couldn’t quite find my rhythm,” Raducanu later admitted, according to WTA reports.
The second set saw Raducanu double-fault to go down a double break, trailing 4-1. At that point, she called for the tournament doctor. After having her blood pressure and temperature checked, Raducanu made the difficult decision to retire. The official score when she left the court was 6-1, 4-1 in Li’s favor. “I was feeling dizzy and just couldn’t continue,” Raducanu explained. The Wuhan Open’s notorious heat and humidity had already put the tournament’s ‘heat rule’ into effect for the first two days, with outdoor play suspended earlier in the week as temperatures soared to 34°C. It’s no wonder the conditions proved too much for some players.
Raducanu’s retirement was not the only weather-related drama this week. On the men’s side, defending Shanghai Masters champion Jannik Sinner retired with cramp in the third round, while 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic vomited during his gritty win over Yannick Hanfmann. The heat in China’s autumn tennis swing has been a storyline all its own, testing the limits of even the most seasoned athletes.
For Ann Li, Raducanu’s misfortune meant a ticket to the second round, where she is set to face Russian ninth seed Ekaterina Alexandrova. Alexandrova advanced with a convincing 6-3, 6-2 win over Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko. The American’s victory was hard-earned, but there’s no denying the circumstances played a role. “I just tried to stay focused and keep playing my game,” Li said after the match, per WTA reports. “It’s always tough when your opponent isn’t feeling 100%.”
Elsewhere at the Wuhan Open, the action was equally intense. Japanese star Naomi Osaka, a four-time major winner, returned to Wuhan for the first time since 2017 and dug deep to defeat Leylah Fernandez 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 in a two-and-a-half-hour battle. It was Osaka’s first career win at the Wuhan Open and her fourth opening-match victory in seven WTA 1000 events this season. Fernandez, who famously lost to Raducanu in the 2021 US Open final, pushed Osaka to the limit, but the Japanese player’s resilience shone through. “Every tournament I go to, I want to play my best game,” Osaka said. “Sometimes I deliver, sometimes not, but, yeah, my expectation is to just do my best.”
In other first-round action, former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin saved two match points before eking out a 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-3 win over qualifier Anastasia Zakharova. Kenin’s reward is a second-round clash with 16th seed Liudmila Samsonova, who advanced after beating Emiliana Arango 6-1, 7-5. Meanwhile, Rebecca Sramkova made an impressive tournament debut, rallying from a break down in the third set to defeat Anna Kalinskaya. Sramkova’s victory marked her fifth Top 30 win of the season and her first since June.
Tuesday’s action also saw world number two Iga Swiatek storm into the third round, dismantling Marie Bouzkova 6-1, 6-1. The win was Swiatek’s 60th of 2025, making it the fourth consecutive year she has reached that milestone. “Honestly, I don’t set goals like semifinal or whatever — just really making it step by step,” Swiatek told The Associated Press. She will next face either Belinda Bencic or Elise Mertens, as she continues her quest for another WTA 1000 title.
Looking ahead, top seed Aryna Sabalenka is set to return to action in Wuhan, playing her first match since clinching the US Open title. She’ll be joined by third seed Coco Gauff, tenth seed Clara Tauson, twelfth seed Karolína Muchová, thirteenth seed Belinda Bencic, and sixteenth seed Liudmila Samsonova as the tournament’s main draw heats up. The field remains stacked, even as Amanda Anisimova, this year’s China Open champion and a two-time Grand Slam finalist, withdrew from Wuhan with a left calf muscle injury.
The men’s side of the Chinese tennis swing has been equally dramatic. At the Rolex Shanghai Masters, Daniil Medvedev is set to headline fourth-round action against American Learner Tien, who recently reached the China Open final. Other notable matches include Alex de Minaur facing Nuno Borges, Felix Auger-Aliassime squaring off against Lorenzo Musetti, and Jiri Lehecka taking on Arthur Rinderknech. Novak Djokovic, who survived a three-setter against Jaume Munar, will meet Zizou Bergs in the quarterfinals.
For Raducanu, the Wuhan Open was the third stop on her Asian swing after appearances in Seoul and Beijing. While her campaign here ended in disappointment, her season is far from over. The 22-year-old is slated to make her debut at the WTA 500 Ningbo Open in China from October 13 to 19, having received a wildcard. She’ll then head to Tokyo for the Pan Pacific Open (October 20-26), again as a wildcard entrant. Though she hasn’t entered the Hong Kong Tennis Open, there’s a chance she could still compete if granted a late wildcard.
The draw in Ningbo is expected to be fierce, with five of the top 10 WTA players—Amanda Anisimova, Mirra Andreeva, Jessica Pegula, Jasmine Paolini, and Elena Rybakina—set to compete. Tokyo will also feature a star-studded field, including Pegula, Paolini, Rybakina, and Zheng Qinwen. Raducanu’s resilience and determination will be tested once again, but if history is any guide, she’s never one to back down from a challenge.
As the Asian tennis swing rolls on, the Wuhan Open continues to serve up drama, surprises, and no shortage of talking points. Whether it’s the punishing heat, the emergence of new contenders, or the ongoing journeys of established stars like Raducanu, Swiatek, and Osaka, fans have plenty to keep their eyes on. And with the action still unfolding, there’s no telling what twist might come next.
