Emma Raducanu pulls out of Naomi Osaka clash at United Cup as fitness concerns resurface

PERTH – Emma Raducanu’s return to tennis has been delayed after the Briton pulled out of her tie against Japan’s Naomi Osaka at the United Cup mixed-team event in Perth on Jan 4.

She has struggled with form and fitness problems since her US Open triumph as a teenager in 2021, but she rediscovered her rhythm in a run to the 2025 Miami Open quarter-finals before ending her season prematurely due to physical issues.

The 23-year-old was set to play her first match since October against Osaka as she builds up her preparations for the Australian Open, but team captain Tim Henman said the tie at the RAC Arena had come too early for the world No. 29, who was replaced by 276th-ranked Katie Swan.

“She struggled with her foot at the end of last year,” Henman told reporters after Britain’s hard-earned 2-1 win.

“The improvement she’s made has been fantastic. She’s been practising in London, only doing static drills, to be out on the practice court and moving and playing games. She’s very close.

“In terms of tomorrow, it’s still a little bit up in the air. We’re forced to put Emma on the list because if we didn’t do that, then that only gives us one option,” Henman said.

“When we get back tonight, we’ll discuss it as a team.”

Osaka was too strong for Swan, winning 7-6 (7-4), 6-1, as Raducanu watched from the sidelines.

That forced a mixed-doubles decider in which Neal Skupski and Olivia Nicholls defeated Yasutaka Uchiyama and Nao Hibino 7-5, 4-6, 10-7 to secure victory for Britain in their opening Group E tie.

Earlier, Billy Harris, standing in for the injured Jack Draper, had downed Shintaro Mochizuki 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 in the opening singles match.

Britain’s next match against Greece on Jan 5 will decide the group winners. Japan, who had lost to Greece on Jan 2, are out of the tournament.

In Sydney, Alexander Zverev clinched victory for Germany against the Netherlands as the world No. 3 demolished Tallon Griekspoor 7-5, 6-0.

Eva Lys beat Suzan Lamens 6-2, 6-2 and Germany also took the doubles for a 3-0 sweep in their Group F opener.

Playing his first match of 2026, Zverev dropped just seven points in a commanding second set.

“The first set, it was tough to get rhythm,” he said Zverev. “Once I got the chances, I did well and I’m very happy with the win.”

In the late Group C tie in Perth which ended past 12.45am, Switzerland’s Jakub Paul and Belinda Bencic overcame Italy’s Andrea Vavassori and Sara Errani 7-5, 4-6, 10-7 in doubles to seal a 2-1 win and a last-eight spot.

Bencic had beaten Jasmine Paolini 6-4, 6-3 before Flavio Cobolli drew Italy level with a 6-4, 6-7 (2-7), 7-6 (7-4) win over 40-year-old Stan Wawrinka, who is starting his final season.

The 18-nation mixed-team event in Perth and Sydney is a warmup for the Australian Open, which runs from Jan 18 to Feb 1. The three group winners in each city will advance to the quarter-finals, along with the two best runners-up.

In Queensland, Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios reprised their triumphant Australian Open partnership by winning their opening match at the Brisbane International, as the “Special Ks” also marked their return from long-term injuries.

It was the first match on the ATP tour in 167 days for Kyrgios, while Kokkinakis played for the first time since suffering a pectoral injury in January 2025, as the pair beat Matthew Ebden and Rajeev Ram 5-7, 6-4, 10-8.

“I’m about to tear up,” an emotional Kokkinakis said in the post-match interview.

“It’s crazy. I haven’t played a match in 12 months... I underwent surgery a year ago with no guarantee I would be back playing. So it’s been a long year, a challenging one a lot of times, where I thought the game was done for me. So I chipped away at it.”

Kyrgios and Kokkinakis won the men’s doubles title at the 2022 Australian Open. The pair reunited ahead of the 2025 tournament, but their campaign ended in the first round due to the latter’s injury.

“It’s doubles but it means everything. This is a good stepping stone,” Kokkinakis added.

The Australian duo will face French sixth seeds Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul in the second round. REUTERS, AFP