In a battle of Slam champion, Sofia Kenin extended Emma Raducanu’s US Open drought.
Photo credit: Matthew Stockman/Getty
NEW YORK—Emma Raducanu’s US Open Comeback Falls Short in a Dramatic First-Round Exit
In a high-stakes match on Grandstand Court, 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin ousted Emma Raducanu from the US Open’s first round with a 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 victory. Despite the proximity to the iconic Arthur Ashe Stadium, it felt like a distant world for Raducanu, who has struggled to regain her winning form.
Kenin, who claimed victory by taking five of the last seven games, left Raducanu visibly emotional. The 2021 US Open champion has not secured a match win in New York since her historic victory over Leylah Fernandez in the final. Ironically, Fernandez also exited in the first round this year.
Raducanu, the first qualifier in history to win a Grand Slam singles title, expressed her deep disappointment: “I feel down, I feel sad. Obviously, this is a tournament I really want to do well in.”
The 21-year-old Briton had shown promise earlier in the season, advancing to the quarterfinals in Washington, DC, with wins over Elise Mertens and Peyton Stearns. However, in hindsight, Raducanu believes more match play before the US Open could have been beneficial.
“I was maybe a bit slow starting,” Raducanu admitted. “Yeah, I would have preferred to probably play a little bit more coming into the US Open. I think I can learn from it and manage my schedule slightly differently.”
Looking ahead, Raducanu, who was also eliminated in the fourth round of Wimbledon by Lulu Sun, plans to compete in the Korea Open starting September 16th in Seoul.
“Until then, I’m just gonna go back to the drawing board, train, and analyze where I went wrong to improve for the rest of the season,” Raducanu added. “Obviously, the Slams are over for this year, but it’s not actually that long until Australia comes around again.”
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