TEEN STAR RADUCANU TO PLAY IN UK CLASSIC

Emma Raducanu will play in front of a British crowd at the Rothesay Classic tennis tournament in Birmingham next month.

It is set to be a first competitive appearance in her home country for the 19-year-old since her remarkable US Open triumph last year.

Raducanu’s only previous WTA Tour event in Britain was in Nottingham last summer prior to her breakthrough at Wimbledon.

The teenager said: “I can’t wait to play in Britain again and I’m delighted to be able to compete at the Rothesay Classic in Birmingham in the 40th year of this terrific showcase for women’s tennis.

“It will be great to get back on to the grass at home, where the backing of the British fans was so fantastic.”

Raducanu’s presence in the draw will certainly be welcome news for tournament organisers, with the event, which runs from June 13-19, having been downgraded and facing competition for players from the highertier concurrent tournament played in Berlin.

The world No 12 has been showing encouraging form on clay and will compete this week at the Italian Open in Rome, where she plays fellow New York champion Bianca Andreescu in the first round.

Raducanu continues to travel without a full-time coach following her split from German Torben Beltz and is again being supported in the Italian capital by the Lawn Tennis Association’s head of women’s tennis, Iain Bates.

Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from this week’s Italian Open with an Achilles injury.

The four-time grand slam champion suffered the problem at the Madrid Open last week and struggled during a second-round loss to Sara Sorribes Tormo.

Veteran Stan Wawrinka claimed his first victory since last year’s Australian Open by beating 14th seed Reilly Opelka at the Italian Open. Wawrinka, 37, was off the tour for a year after surgery on his foot, making his comeback at the end of March.