Emma Raducanu retired during the third set of her first-round match with the qualifier Camila Osorio at the Qatar Open, having tried to play on after taking a medical timeout.
The British No 1 was looking to move swiftly on from the disappointment of losing in straight sets on Saturday against the home favourite Sorana Cirstea in the Transylvania Open final, a match she described as “very difficult emotionally and physically”.
Raducanu – who split from her coach Francisco Roig after her second-round exit at the Australian Open – had made a positive start in Doha, building on an early break to close out the first set 6-2 in 38 minutes. But the world No 80 Osorio – who won a WTA Challenger event in Manila last month – regrouped for the second set, as Raducanu struggled to find her range from the baseline.
The pressure from Osorio soon told as she broke Raducanu then held to move ahead 4-2 before maintaining her momentum to take it 6-4 and level the match.
Raducanu was broken again at the start of the deciding set, choosing not to chase a drop shot to the net before calling for the physio. After a lengthy conversation – and having her blood pressure checked – the Briton went back on court, but then lost the second game to love and walked back to the net to shake Osorio’s hand and retire.