By Alberto Amalfi | @Tennis_Now | Wednesday, August 28, 2024
Photo: Matthew Stockman/Getty
NEW YORK – The grandstand stands in the shadow of Arthur Ashe Stadium.
It felt like a world away Emma Raducanu.
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In a clash of Grand Slam champions, the 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin sent a tearful Raducanu out of the first round of the US Open with a 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 victory on Grandstand Court.
Kenin has won five of her last seven matches as Raducanu, who missed the 2023 US Open recovering from wrist surgery, has not won a match in New York since she defeated Leylah Fernandez in the 2021 US Open final. Fernandez also fell in the first round.
Raducanu, who made history as the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam singles crown three years ago, said the loss was deeply disappointing.
“I feel depressed, I feel sad,” said an emotional Raducanu. “Obviously, this is a tournament I really want to do well in.”
Before Flushing Meadows, the 21-year-old Brit beat Elise Mertens and Peyton Stearns to reach the Washington, DC quarterfinals, where she pushed Paula Badosa to a three-set defeat.
In retrospect, Raducanu said he would have benefited from more match play before the US Open.
“I was maybe a little slow at the beginning,” Raducanu said. “Yeah, maybe I would have preferred to play a little bit more coming into the US Open.
“I think I can learn from it and manage my schedule a little differently.”
Raducanu, who lost to Lulu Sun in the fourth round of Wimbledon last month, aims to play in the Korea Open starting on September 16 in Seoul.
“Until then, I’ll just go back to the drawing board and train and analyze where I went wrong and try to improve for the rest of the season,” Raducanu said. “Obviously, the Slams are over for this year, but it’s not really long until Australia comes around again.”
