Emma Raducanu has vitals checked in worry stoppage as medics called in Maria Sakkari clash

Emma Raducanu had her vitals checked in a concerning medical timeout at the Citi Open. Battling blistering heat in Washington, the British star ultimately defeated Maria Sakkari in straight sets to continue her excellent form.

Raducanu battled back from 5-2 down in the second set to win 6-4 7-5. However, there were worrying signs for the 22-year-old as she took a medical timeout late in the second set. She had only just broken Sakkari's serve when the doctor was called onto the court. Raducanu appeared to have her heart rate checked among other assessments of her vitals. After returning to the court, Raducanu went on to win three consecutive games to reach the semi-finals.

Players are competing in intense heat in the United States. Temperatures reached 36 degrees while Raducanu and Sakkari were on court. The British No. 3 praised fans for sitting through the match, saying afterwards: "It was brutal today. Thank you to everyone for coming out and sitting through the heat. It's incredibly difficult playing, but actually, when I've sat and watched matches, in the heat when you're not moving, it's even harder. I really appreciate you guys coming out and sticking through the long match."

Earlier this week, Daniil Medevedev's clash with Reilly Opelka was halted after a fan screamed "help!" before receiving medical attention. Heat-related incidents were a theme at Wimbledon earlier this month, with several matches stopped while spectators were treated by medical professionals.

The Citi Open takes place during a typically period in Washington, with tournament bosses attempting to mitigate issues with later starts.

Meanwhile, Raducanu is into the semi-finals of the WTA 500 event. It is her most prestigious semi-final appearance since her US Open victory in 2021.

Victories over Sakkari, Naomi Osaka and Martya Kostyuk mean Raducanu is now up to 32nd in the live WTA rankings. That ranking would be enough to earn her a seeded position at the US Open later this year. It comes following an excellent run of form that included a third-round appearance at Wimbledon and a very narrow defeat to world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

Raducanu's work with new fitness coach Yutaka Nakamura appears to be paying off. After an injury-hit four years following her famous triumph at Flushing Meadows, she is now back on the path to regularly competing with the world's top stars.