Emma Raducanu has given glimpses of the player who shocked the world this summer by winning the 2021 US Open without dropping a single set.
But she was unable to convert her success into another magical run at Flushing Meadows, as she was eliminated from the Grand Slam on Tuesday evening with a first-round loss to Sofia Kenin.
Raducanu was emotional afterwards, as she had not yet won a US Open since winning the title.
“I’m depressed. I’m sad,” said 21-year-old Raducanu, fighting back tears. “Of course, this is the tournament where I really want to do well.”
Raducanu lost in the first round to Alize Cornet in 2022 and missed the event last year due to injury.
She seemed to put injury worries behind her this summer when she reached the fourth round of Wimbledon last month and then the quarterfinals of the Citi Open in Washington, DC.
However, she then surprisingly skipped the rest of the hard court season and decided not to play in Montreal or Cincinnati.
“I was maybe a little slow at the beginning. Yes, I probably would have preferred to play a little more before coming to the US Open,” Raducanu said on Tuesday when asked about her schedule.
“I know when I have a lot of games, I feel really good, like any other player. You feel like everything is automatic. So, yes, I think I can learn from that. And maybe I’ll organize my schedule a little differently.”
The 25-year-old Kenin dominated the first set 6-1 before Raducanu came back to win the second 6-3.
Raducanu made a double fault and gave Kenin – the winner of the 2020 Australian Open – the first break of the third set.
Kenin didn’t come under much pressure in her final three service games, secured the match and moved into the second round, where she faced sixth-seeded Jessica Pegula.
“I did really well to get back into the match,” Raducanu said. “After the first set – where I was completely outplayed – I did well to equalize.”
“In the third set, it was 2-2 on serve and that was pretty high-quality tennis. I think I executed certain parts of my game that had to do with her stroke speed and pace better than in previous matches. I faced an opponent in top form and yes, she played pretty well.”
