Emma Raducanu has appeared on the entry list for the qualifying event at the WTA 1000 in Wuhan. The Brit’s ranking wasn’t high enough to reach the main draw.
But she safely got into another WTA 1000 in Beijing, which begins next week, off her own merit.
Although both tournaments belong to the same points category, they have different draws. It means the likes of Naomi Osaka and Bianca Andreescu also had to enter Wuhan qualies.
The Wuhan Open is back following a five-year hiatus due to the Covid pandemic. The entry list has now been released and Raducanu will have to come through qualifying or receive a wildcard if she wants to compete in the main draw.
The tournament has a smaller, 56-player draw. Only the top 43 ranked players in the world get direct acceptance. It means Raducanu’s standing of No. 70 in the world was nowhere near the cut-off point.
The Wuhan WTA 1000 will also comprise one special exempt player, four wildcards and eight qualifiers. The top eight seeds will get byes directly into the second round. It takes place from October 7 to 13.
In comparison, the China Open in Beijing has a much bigger draw size, accommodating 96 players. Of those spots, 76 went in ranking order, meaning Raducanu got in automatically. There will also be eight wildcard recipients and 12 qualifiers.
The two WTA 1000s aren’t the only tournaments Raducanu has entered during the Asian swing. The former world No. 10 has packed out her schedule after suffering an early exit at the recent US Open and regretting her lack of match play.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk