After beating Yue Yuan in the last 16 in Korea, Raducanu said she had been “nursing a few niggles” in the past couple of months but added she had more “trust” in her body.
“I’ve been working hard – especially at the start of the year and the mid part of the year – physically,” said Raducanu, whose highest ever world ranking is 10th.
Raducanu missed the bulk of last season after needing surgery on both wrists and her left ankle, returning at the start of this year and making a steady climb back up the rankings.
Winning two matches in Seoul against American Peyton Stearns and China’s Yue – both ranked higher – has moved her back on the verge of the world’s top 50.
It is Raducanu’s highest position since August 2022 – when the points from her New York triumph were wiped off.
Raducanu has played 33 matches on the WTA Tour this season, which is three short of her tally in 2022 – the most she has played in a single season.
The Korea Open was her first tournament since losing in the first round of US Open on 28 August.
Raducanu played just one tournament between Wimbledon in July and the US Open, saying afterwards in a tearful news conference it was a “lesson to learn” about her scheduling.
