Seoul: Back Da-yeon was eliminated in the first round of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) tournament in Seoul, marking the end of the road for South Korean players in the singles competition at the Korea Open.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Back faced Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil in the round of 32 at the weather-interrupted event held at the Olympic Park Tennis Center. The match was delayed from Tuesday due to rain, and Back ultimately fell to Haddad Maia with scores of 6-4, 6-3. Despite a promising start, Back was unable to secure a break in the first set and struggled in the early games of the second set, briefly rallying before Haddad Maia secured her victory. Haddad Maia, the tournament's defending champion, will proceed to face Germany's Ella Seidel in the next round.

Earlier in the tournament, two other South Korean players, Park So-hyun and Ku Yeon-woo, were also defeated in the round of 32, leaving Back as the country's final singles competitor. Back and Lee Eun-hye are set to participate in the women's doubles competition starting Thursday.

In other matches on Wednesday, Emma Raducanu from Britain, known for her 2021 U.S. Open triumph, won against Romania's Jaqueline Cristian. Raducanu's upcoming opponent in the round of 16 will be Barbora Krejcikova of Czechia, a two-time Grand Slam singles winner. Krejcikova advanced after a straight-set victory over Russia's Tatiana Prozorova.

Romanian Sorana Cirstea defeated Anastasia Zakharova from Russia and will face top-seeded Iga Swiatek in the round of 16. In another match, Diana Shnaider of Russia emerged victorious over the United States' Caty McNally in a three-set battle, setting up a clash with Suzan Lamens of the Netherlands, who defeated Germany's Tatjana Maria.

Two players have already advanced to the quarterfinals following Wednesday's matches. Australia's Maya Joint upset the United States' seventh-seeded Sofia Kenin, while Denmark's Clara Tauson overcame Germany's Eva Lys.

The Korea Open, the only WTA tournament held in South Korea each fall, was first launched in 2004. No South Korean has won the singles title at this event, which boasts past champions like Maria Sharapova, Venus Williams, Caroline Wozniacki, and Jelena Ostapenko.