REIGNING US OPEN champion Emma Raducanu crashed out of the Australian Open in the second round Thursday as she struggled with blisters on her serving hand.
The 19-year-old, making her debut at Melbourne Park, looked on track when she raced to a 3-0 lead in the opening set against Montenegro’s Danka Kovinic.
But the 17th seed then lost five games in a row and needed a medical timeout for treatment on her right hand.
Despite battling back she couldn’t stop Kovinic winning 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 on Margaret Court Arena.
The result put Kovinic, the world number 98, into the third round of a major for the first time.
She will now play either two-time Grand Slam winner Simona Halep, seeded 14, or Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia for a place in the fourth round.
“I really enjoyed it out there. It was a nice experience to play Emma and make it to the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time,” she said.
“Emma is a such a talent and just glad I showed I can play at her level.”
It was only Kovinic’s fourth win over a top-20 player and the first on hardcourts, with the other three all on clay.
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Raducanu applied pressure on the Kovinic serve right away, working a break point that went in her favour. A comfortable hold followed then Kovinic’s sixth unforced error handed the teenager three break points to go 3-0 clear.
But the Briton lost focus and loose shots from the baseline allowed her opponent to claw a break back.
Raducanu needed a medical timeout at 3-2 and was broken again when she returned, with her serve lacking power and potency.
Struggling, she lost five games in a row before snapping the streak with a break, but it was in vain as Kovinic pounced again to take the set.
The teenager gritted her teeth and played through the pain to stamp her authority early on in the second set and take a 2-0 lead.
She needed more treatment at 3-2 but clung on, using the drop shot and slice to protect the injury as she took the second set.
Both players exchanged breaks in the deciding set before a perfect lob gave Kovinic a second break that proved decisive.
Garbine Muguruza in action at the Australian Open. Patrick Hamilton
Patrick Hamilton
Earlier today, third seed Garbine Muguruza and sixth seed Anett Kontaveit both suffered second-round upsets in straight sets, opening up the bottom half of the women’s draw.
WTA Finals winner Muguruza struggled with her serve against 61st-ranked veteran Alize Cornet, losing 6-3, 6-3 in 1hr 27min.
“I am a bit of a dinosaur on the tour,” said Cornet, who turns 32 on Saturday. “I’ve been there for 16 years so I have played a lot of matches and faced a lot of situations that I have overcome.”
Kontaveit, seen by many as a serious title contender after a breakout 2021, committed 27 unforced errors as she was stunned 6-2, 6-4 by fast-rising Danish teenager Clara Tauson.
But second seed Aryna Sabalenka lives to fight another day, just, after coming from a set down for the second successive match to beat China’s world number 100 Wang Xinyu.
The Belarusian has struggled with her serve since arriving in Australia and served 19 double faults — six in the opening game alone — before managing to drag herself through 1-6, 6-4, 6-2.
In the men’s draw, Australian wildcard Chris O’Connell continued the day of upsets with a straight-sets win over 13th seed Diego Schwartzman 7-6 (8/6), 6-4, 6-4.
World number 175 O’Connell, who has reached the third round of a Slam for the first time, faces America’s Maxime Cressy.
Fifth seed Andrey Rublev calmly avoided the carnage with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-0 demolition of Lithuania’s Ricardas Berankis.
He will now face Marin Cilic, who lost the 2018 Australian Open final to Roger Federer. Croatia’s Cilic, seeded 27, beat Slovakia’s Norbert Gombos 6-2, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (8/6).
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US Open champion Raducanu crashes out of Australian Open
LAST UPDATE | 20 Jan 2022
REIGNING US OPEN champion Emma Raducanu crashed out of the Australian Open in the second round Thursday as she struggled with blisters on her serving hand.
The 19-year-old, making her debut at Melbourne Park, looked on track when she raced to a 3-0 lead in the opening set against Montenegro’s Danka Kovinic.
But the 17th seed then lost five games in a row and needed a medical timeout for treatment on her right hand.
Despite battling back she couldn’t stop Kovinic winning 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 on Margaret Court Arena.
The result put Kovinic, the world number 98, into the third round of a major for the first time.
She will now play either two-time Grand Slam winner Simona Halep, seeded 14, or Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia for a place in the fourth round.
“I really enjoyed it out there. It was a nice experience to play Emma and make it to the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time,” she said.
“Emma is a such a talent and just glad I showed I can play at her level.”
It was only Kovinic’s fourth win over a top-20 player and the first on hardcourts, with the other three all on clay.
Raducanu applied pressure on the Kovinic serve right away, working a break point that went in her favour. A comfortable hold followed then Kovinic’s sixth unforced error handed the teenager three break points to go 3-0 clear.
But the Briton lost focus and loose shots from the baseline allowed her opponent to claw a break back.
Raducanu needed a medical timeout at 3-2 and was broken again when she returned, with her serve lacking power and potency.
Struggling, she lost five games in a row before snapping the streak with a break, but it was in vain as Kovinic pounced again to take the set.
The teenager gritted her teeth and played through the pain to stamp her authority early on in the second set and take a 2-0 lead.
She needed more treatment at 3-2 but clung on, using the drop shot and slice to protect the injury as she took the second set.
Both players exchanged breaks in the deciding set before a perfect lob gave Kovinic a second break that proved decisive.
Earlier today, third seed Garbine Muguruza and sixth seed Anett Kontaveit both suffered second-round upsets in straight sets, opening up the bottom half of the women’s draw.
WTA Finals winner Muguruza struggled with her serve against 61st-ranked veteran Alize Cornet, losing 6-3, 6-3 in 1hr 27min.
“I am a bit of a dinosaur on the tour,” said Cornet, who turns 32 on Saturday. “I’ve been there for 16 years so I have played a lot of matches and faced a lot of situations that I have overcome.”
Kontaveit, seen by many as a serious title contender after a breakout 2021, committed 27 unforced errors as she was stunned 6-2, 6-4 by fast-rising Danish teenager Clara Tauson.
But second seed Aryna Sabalenka lives to fight another day, just, after coming from a set down for the second successive match to beat China’s world number 100 Wang Xinyu.
The Belarusian has struggled with her serve since arriving in Australia and served 19 double faults — six in the opening game alone — before managing to drag herself through 1-6, 6-4, 6-2.
In the men’s draw, Australian wildcard Chris O’Connell continued the day of upsets with a straight-sets win over 13th seed Diego Schwartzman 7-6 (8/6), 6-4, 6-4.
World number 175 O’Connell, who has reached the third round of a Slam for the first time, faces America’s Maxime Cressy.
Fifth seed Andrey Rublev calmly avoided the carnage with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-0 demolition of Lithuania’s Ricardas Berankis.
He will now face Marin Cilic, who lost the 2018 Australian Open final to Roger Federer. Croatia’s Cilic, seeded 27, beat Slovakia’s Norbert Gombos 6-2, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (8/6).
– © AFP 2022
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