Raducanu Into Australian Open Main Draw After Davis Withdrawal 

Emma Raducanu of Britain hits a return during her singles match against Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania at the ASB Classic tennis tournament in Auckland, New Zealand, Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024. (AP)
Emma Raducanu of Britain hits a return during her singles match against Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania at the ASB Classic tennis tournament in Auckland, New Zealand, Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024. (AP)
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Raducanu Into Australian Open Main Draw After Davis Withdrawal 

Emma Raducanu of Britain hits a return during her singles match against Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania at the ASB Classic tennis tournament in Auckland, New Zealand, Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024. (AP)
Emma Raducanu of Britain hits a return during her singles match against Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania at the ASB Classic tennis tournament in Auckland, New Zealand, Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024. (AP)

Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu moved into the main draw of the Australian Open after American Lauren Davis pulled out of the year's first Grand Slam with a shoulder injury, organizers said on Wednesday.

Raducanu, who beat Elena-Gabriela Ruse at the Auckland Classic on Tuesday in her return to action following wrist and ankle surgeries, has slipped to number 301 in the world and her protected ranking was not good enough for direct entry to the Melbourne Park Grand Slam.

The 21-year-old Briton was also overlooked for a wildcard and was set to take a similar path as her 2021 Flushing Meadows run when she became the first player in the Open Era to win a major after starting out in the qualifying rounds.

However, the exit of Davis, which followed withdrawals by Karolina Muchova, Petra Kvitova, Irina-Camelia Begu and Caty McNally, opened up a spot for Raducanu in the main draw of the Jan. 14-28 major.



Valladolid Loses Again and Getafe Ends Winless Run in La Liga

Getafe's forward Alvaro Rodriguez celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the LaLiga match between Getafe and Real Valladolid at Coliseo stadium in Getafe, Spain, 22 November 2024.  EPA/JUANJO MARTIN
Getafe's forward Alvaro Rodriguez celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the LaLiga match between Getafe and Real Valladolid at Coliseo stadium in Getafe, Spain, 22 November 2024. EPA/JUANJO MARTIN
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Valladolid Loses Again and Getafe Ends Winless Run in La Liga

Getafe's forward Alvaro Rodriguez celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the LaLiga match between Getafe and Real Valladolid at Coliseo stadium in Getafe, Spain, 22 November 2024.  EPA/JUANJO MARTIN
Getafe's forward Alvaro Rodriguez celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the LaLiga match between Getafe and Real Valladolid at Coliseo stadium in Getafe, Spain, 22 November 2024. EPA/JUANJO MARTIN

Getafe scored twice in three minutes midway through the second half to beat struggling Valladolid 2-0 and record only its second win in La Liga on Friday.
The victory ended Getafe’s five-game winless run and lifted it into 15th place in the 20-team standings, The Associated Press reported.
Valladolid remained second to last.
In the buildup to the match, Getafe sporting director Rubén Reyes described the game as a final but his team was lucky not to go behind as Valladolid created more of the early chances.
However, the home side took control in the 69th minute when substitute Álvaro Rodríguez got the opener. Three minutes later, man of the match Allan Nyom made it 2-0.
“There’s been a lot of games where we’ve run and fought but lost or drawn,” Nyom, the veteran Cameroon full back, said. “A game that reflects the effort we’ve put in in training is very welcome.”
Adding to Valladolid’s woes, coach Paulo Pezzolano was sent off before halftime. The Uruguayan has the league’s worst disciplinary record, with seven yellow cards before Friday’s red.