Emma Raducanu‘s reign as the US Open champion came to an abrupt end as she lost to Alize Cornet in the first round.
The Bromley-based tennis star turned heads last year at Flushing Meadows, winning the championship without dropping a set. However, her struggles with form and injury following the momentous achievement are well documented.
Another chapter has been added to Raducanu’s string of disappointing results as the British No. 1 lost in straight sets 6-3, 6-3 to the experienced Alize Cornet. Nothing seemed to fall in place for the youngster as she will now drop considerably in the rankings.
The Frenchwoman deserves a lot of credit for playing a near-perfect match. She weathered the storm from Raducanu in the first set and slowly dominated proceedings thereafter. The 19-year-old made 31 unforced errors which didn’t help her cause.
Now, Raducanu will have to work her way back up, and hopefully, the pressure of expectations won’t be as much as it was before. That might bring the best out of the Briton. After the match, Raducanu said:
“Really sad to leave here. It’s probably my favorite tournament. But also in a way happy because it’s a clean slate. I’m gonna drop the rankings and climb my way back up. The target is off my back. I have another chance to claw my way back up there.”
Twitter reactions
While a section of fans criticized Emma Raducanu after her painful loss, many supported her and wished her well for the future.
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