Emma Raducanu in injury scare ahead of Australian Open

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — British star Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from her second-round match at Auckland’s ASB Classic because of an apparent ankle strain. The Australian Open starts in just over a week. The 2021 U.S. Open champion took only 22 minutes to sweep the first set 6-0 against Slovakian qualifier Viktoria Kusmova but faltered and lost the second set 7-5. Raducanu summoned the trainer courtside to heavily strap her left ankle in a long injury break. But she couldn’t complete the first round of the third set and retired in distress. Meanwhile, Venus Williams blew a 5-3 last-set lead in a match which stretched over nearly seven hours because of rain in losing to Zhu Lin of China.