British tennis star Emma Raducanu faces an anxious wait to complete her opening match at the Hobart International after persistent rain forced organisers to suspend play on Tuesday evening.
Frustrating Delay for Top Seed
The tournament's number one seed was leading Colombia's world number 89, Camila Osorio, by a score of 6-3, 2-4 when the weather intervened. Raducanu, who was playing only her second competitive match of the 2026 season, will have to return to the court on Wednesday afternoon to try and secure her first victory of the year.
Her season began with a defeat to Maria Sakkari at the United Cup last week. The 23-year-old has revealed that her preparations were severely hampered by a foot injury that cut short her 2025 campaign in October. She only resumed full training, including playing points and movement drills, after arriving in Australia in late December.
Osorio Fights Back Before Rain Falls
Raducanu started the match positively in Tasmania, using her forehand to dictate play and clinch a tight first set. However, Osorio, who was visibly unwell and battling coughing fits throughout, raised her level dramatically at the start of the second set.
The Colombian began taking the ball earlier from inside the baseline, increasing her intensity and forcing Raducanu into a passive, error-strewn spell. This allowed Osorio to race into a 4-1 lead. The Briton managed to retrieve one service break before the rain, which had caused several earlier interruptions, became too heavy to continue.
Venus Williams Bows Out in Straight Sets
In other action at the Hobart International, veteran American Venus Williams was eliminated in the first round. Williams, who made a surprise trip to Australia after initially casting doubt on her participation, fell to a 6-4, 6-3 defeat against Germany's Tatjana Maria.
The 45-year-old, a finalist in Hobart back in 2003, struggled to control her unforced error count against the cunning, slice-heavy game of the 38-year-old Maria. The match featured a combined age of 83 between the two competitors. Williams will now head to Melbourne for her 22nd appearance at the Australian Open.
Elsewhere, injury concerns emerged for Italy's Lorenzo Musetti, who retired from an exhibition match against Alexander Zverev in Melbourne citing a lower back problem. This casts a shadow over his participation in the season's first Grand Slam, coming just after he broke into the world's top five for the first time.
