Emma Raducanu, visibly emotional, admitted that she felt “sad” after her first-round exit at the US Open, a defeat that marks another disappointing chapter in her Flushing Meadows journey since her remarkable 2021 victory.
The 21-year-old British tennis star, who stunned the world by winning the US Open three years ago in only her third senior tournament, has struggled to find success in New York since then. After missing the 2023 tournament due to injury, she was unable to secure a win in her appearances in both 2022 and 2024.
Raducanu’s latest defeat came at the hands of Sofia Kenin, a fellow “one-slam wonder,” who clinched a 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 victory.
In the aftermath, Raducanu, fighting back tears, shared her plans to “go back to the drawing board” and work on improving her game for the rest of the season.
“Obviously, the slams are over for this year, but it’s not actually that long until Australia comes around again,” she said, acknowledging the challenges ahead.
Tim Henman, a long-time supporter of Raducanu, defended her decision to take a three-and-a-half-week break after her quarter-final loss in Washington earlier in August. He emphasized that despite her young age, the time off allowed her to reassess her fitness and resilience following surgeries on both wrists and a foot injury.
Henman praised her for playing “some great tennis” in the events she participated in.
Laura Robson, former British No. 1, offered her perspective on Raducanu’s defeat, attributing it partly to a lack of rhythm. She credited Kenin for executing a strategy that disrupted Raducanu’s game, preventing her from settling into a groove.
Robson noted that Raducanu showed promise during the second set but was ultimately unable to overcome Kenin’s tactical approach, which was focused on keeping Raducanu off-balance and dictating the pace of the match.
