Emma Raducanu’s French Open campaign came to an abrupt end after a dominant display from four-time winner Iga Swiatek, who eased to a 6-1, 6-2 victory in the second round.
The reigning champion made quick work of the Brit, with the match lasting just an hour and 19 minutes. With the win, Swiatek extended her unbeaten streak at the French Open to an impressive 23 games.
Raducanu, who reached the second round in as many appearances, struggled to find a foothold against one of the tournament’s favourites.
The 22-year-old has now lost all five of her meetings against Swiatek, more worryingly, without winning a set.
Raducanu looked to take an aggressive approach from the off, but after an even start, Swiatek asserted her dominance, rattling off five straight games to take the first set in just 35 minutes.
The ‘Queen of Clay’ then broke Raducanu early in the second set, quickly moving 2-1 ahead, but Raducanu threatened to break back straight away.
Swiatek defended under pressure, surviving three break points in a lengthy fourth game to maintain her lead, and from there, she never looked back, closing out the match in a composed manner.
Despite the defeat, the 2021 US Open champion remained upbeat: “There are certain things I just know I need to do better. Against the top players, I can’t hide away from that,”
“But I don’t feel demotivated.”
Where does Raducanu need to improve?
After two injury-plagued years, Raducanu has made strides over the last few months to get her game back to where it should be.
She’s climbed back into the top 50 and has reached the quarter finals of the Miami Open since teaming up with new coach Mark Petchey.
However, her record against elite competition remains a concern; she has just three wins in 14 games against top-ten opponents — an area she must improve if she wants to start competing for major titles again.
Still, losing to Swiatek on clay–where she reigns supreme–is no disgrace. For Raducanu, this defeat should be viewed as a learning curve, not a setback.
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