British number one Emma Raducanu is absent from the Australian Open after losing in straight sets to Coco Gauff in a thrilling second-round match.
Raducanu, ranked 77th in the world, acquitted herself very well against the seventh seeded USA but a lack of matches told in a 6-3 7-6 (7-4) loss.
The 20-year-old had battled an ankle injury before the Melbourne major.
The loss means Raducanu hasn’t reached the third round of a Grand Slam since his stunning win at the 2021 US Open.
Teenager Gauff, who reached Wimbledon’s last 16 at the age of 15 in 2019, is among the favorites to win the title at Melbourne Park.
“I told myself to hang in there, Emma played really good tennis towards the end of the game,” said Gauff, 18.
“It was a good quality game for the most part. It was a long overdue game so I’m glad it was a good game for the crowd.”
Aiming for her first Grand Slam triumph, Gauff will face 29th seeded China Qinwen Zheng or fellow American Bernarda Pera in the third round on Friday.
Raducanu’s exit means there is no more British interest in women’s singles, while Cameron Norrie, Andy Murray and Dan Evans have yet to play their second-round matches in the men’s draw.
Norrie, seeded 11th, is set to play Wednesday’s final match at the Kia Arena, but it remains to be seen whether he will get the chance to take to the pitch against France’s world number 65 Constant Lestienne.
A backlog of matches still to be played remains after lengthy rain delays in Melbourne prevented play on the outdoor courts from starting before 5 p.m. local time (0600 GMT).
Raducanu can derive pride and positivity from performance
Raducanu acknowledged it was a “great achievement” even as she stepped onto the pitch at Melbourne Park this week following the ankle injury she suffered in Auckland 13 days ago.
Rolling her left ankle forced her out of the game against Slovak Viktoria Kuzmova, leaving Raducanu in tears when she walked off the pitch.
Ahead of her opener against Germany’s Tamara Korpatsch, she said she “fully trusts” the ankle but her move was always going to be tested more against Gauff.
The issue didn’t seem to be a factor as Raducanu took on the French Open runner-up in a match filled with intense rallies from the baseline.
Raducanu grew in confidence as the game went on, playing on the front foot and fending off Gauff with his aggressive and precise groundstrokes.
However, his lack of time on the pitch also showed with a few loose shots allowing Gauff to clinch at crucial moments, including when the Briton had two set points at 5-4 in the second.
Although any loss hurts, Raducanu will no doubt look back on this performance with great pride and positivity for the future.
More soon.
