Raducanu teeing up a full schedule to end the year: 'I thrive in Asia'

SEOUL -- Emma Raducanu is ready to sprint through the finish line of the 2024 Hologic WTA Tour season. The 2021 US Open champion is set to play her first full Asian swing, which kicks off this week at the Hana Bank Korea Open in Seoul. Then comes a much-anticipated debut at the back-to-back WTA 1000s at the China Open in Beijing and Dongfeng Voyah Wuhan Open. 

It's a section of the season Raducanu has highlighted since the year began. 

Seoul: Scores | Order of Play | Draw

"I always knew there was a really long block in Asia at the end of the year and I didn't want to overdo myself in the first half of the year," Raducanu told WTA Insider during the summer. "If you look at the tournaments I played it was relatively light. I skipped quite a few weeks over the clay knowing that I'm at the stage where I'm not trying to win every event on the clay, on the grass and hard. 

"I have to prioritize and Asia was one of those for me. So I stacked the year on the backend heavy, because I'm excited. I thrive in Asia. It's where I truly feel like home. So I'm buzzing for that trip even though it's at the end of the year. I'm looking forward to going out there and trying to take it."

So far so good for Raducanu, who comes into Seoul No.70 on the PIF WTA Rankings. She began the year No.285 after undergoing multiple surgeries last year, which shut down her season in April. The 21-year-old enjoyed a resurgent summer on the British grass, where she made her first semifinal of the year in Nottingham, then earned her first Top 10 win over Jessica Pegula in Eastbourne before powering her way through to the Round of 16 at Wimbledon. 

Raducanu's progress stalled on the summer hard courts, where she made the quarterfinals at Washington D.C. before skipping back-to-back WTA 1000s in Toronto and Cincinnati. After falling in the first round of the US Open, Raducanu second-guessed the decision to keep a light schedule. 

"When I have a lot of matches, just like every player, you feel really good, you feel like everything's automatic," Raducanu said after losing to Sofia Kenin. "So yeah, I think I can learn from it."

Now she's ready to play as much as she can through the end of the season. With no points to defend until January and more than 3,000 ranking points up for grabs over the next six weeks, Raducanu has an opportunity to surge back into the Top 50. She could even nab a seeding at the Australian Open. 

"I think the rest of the year, as long as I'm healthy I'm going to try and finish the season and play as many matches as I can," Raducanu told reporters in Seoul after battling for nearly three hours in her opening win over Peyton Stearns. "It's something I'm really light on since the grass through the D.C. period. I've not played many points, even in practice. 

"So today, as grueling as it was, I think I had three hours of match experience, which can only aid me going into the next few weeks. For me now, I just want to play matches and, in the meantime, do a little bit of work on my game where I can."

Raducanu will be in her element over the next three tournaments. She cites Seoul as one of her favorite cities. In her tournament debut two years ago, she made the semifinals.

"In my match, no matter how bad I was playing, I just wanted to keep playing here because I like it. Korean food is my favorite, nonstop, over anything, so I've really just been enjoying my time here," she said.

Raducanu, whose mother is Chinese, grew up speaking Mandarin and has returned to China over the years to visit her grandmother. 

"Playing in China, I've never done that, so that's going to be a first for me," Raducanu said. 

"I feel pretty comfortable in this environment, which is an advantage. I just want to play as much as I can."