Emma Raducanu couldn’t capitalize on her three match points against a steadfast Barbora Krejcikova and was subsequently eliminated from the Korea Open, while her fellow Brits triumphed over Japan in their Billie Jean King Cup showdown.

The top British player had surprised many, including her captain Anne Keothavong, by withdrawing from representing her country just as the month began, with her decision coming as a last-minute surprise.

Instead, Raducanu opted for a full-send tilt at ranking points during the Asian swing, starting her journey in Seoul on Wednesday. 

Raducanu sprinted away with the opening set 6-4 and looked in cruise control in the second as the Czech star’s serve went to pieces. 

But down 5-3, Krecjikova held her nerve and broke Raducanu as she stuttered serving out the match, missing two of her match points. 

In her match, Raducanu failed to close the tiebreak on her third match point, as Krejcikova snagged the set 6-6 (12-10) with a display of resilience similar to her comeback against Taylor Townsend at the US Open.

Earlier in that tournament, Townsend had squandered eight match points, yet Krejcikova remained fearless in South Korea, ultimately securing a 6-1 victory in the decisive set.

Raducanu will feel the sting of not making it back to the quarter-finals, a stage she reached last year in Seoul before her unexpected withdrawal against Daria Kasatkina.

Consequently, the setback will affect Raducanu’s ranking points, which was a crucial factor in her decision to skip the Billie Jean King Cup in Shenzhen.

So too was the opportunity to spend more time working with her new coach, Rafael Nadal’s former mentor Francisco Roig – who is also known as Francis.

Roig and Raducanu’s fledgling partnership began amid the American hard-court swing this summer, and as she explained after her emotional victory over Cristian, building on their relationship is crucial to her progress.  

‘It was a truly difficult decision,’ Raducanu said after the match. ‘I love the BJK Cup so much, and last year, I gave it my all despite the difficult circumstances (recovering from injury to play at the finals in Malaga). 

‘However, the Korea Open was a crucial time for me to get in sync with my new coach, Francis.

‘Even though it was the end of the season, I felt it was more important to work with an experienced coach ahead of the Asian swing. I wanted to prioritise working with him and further developing myself. 

‘Having the opportunity to develop with such an experienced coach was the main reason I decided to participate in the Asia Series, starting with this Korea Open.’

Raducanu will also be looking to improve her ranking to ensure a seeded berth at next year’s Australian Open. 

The player is currently ranked 32nd in the world standings, but has no more points to defend this season – which should see potential gains in Asia may dividends. 

As for Keothavong, the team captain – who called up Raducanu’s close friend Fran Jones in her stead – is keen to focus on her current players. 

‘It’s obviously disappointing, but I do want the main focus to be on the players I have and the challenge we have ahead,’ Keothavong said ahead of Great Britain’s meeting with Japan on Thursday. 

‘I believe in the players that I’ve got. How the team were able to perform in April to get us into this position was fantastic, and I see no reason why we can’t do the same.

‘Players will make decisions they feel is in their best interest, but my focus is just on this team. We take a huge amount of pride in this competition and we do want to be world champions.’

Britain won their opening tie against Japan 2-0, with Katie Boulter and Sonay Kartal triumphing over Mokuya Uchijima and Ena Shibahara respectively. 

The team will now face off with the United States in their semi-final on Saturday.