Emma Raducanu beaten in 1st competitive game since US Open title

British tennis sensation Emma Raducanu experienced the first major upset of her career, losing in straight sets to Belarus’ Aliaksandra Sasnovich at the ongoing Indian Wells Masters on Friday.  

The loss was her first since her surprise US Open title win. It also ended her 10-match winning streak that started in New York.  After receiving a wild-card into the combined ATP and WTA tournament in the Southern California desert, Raducanu, seeded 17th in the tournament, lost 6-2, 6-4 to the 27-year-old Belarusian in the second round. 

“I think it’s going to take me time to adjust really to what’s going on,” she said in her post-match comments. 

“I mean, I’m still so new to everything. The experiences that I’m going through right now, even though I might not feel 100% amazing right now, I know they’re for the greater good. For the bigger picture, I’ll be thanking this moment. So, yeah, that’s the lesson I think, that you can easily get sucked into being so focused on the result and getting disappointed. I mean, I’m 18 years old. I need to cut myself some slack.” 

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It was Raducanu’s fifth Tour-level event since making her WTA Tour debut in June.

Despite debuting at the Indian Wells, the teenager was among the top attractions, as fans lined up to watch her practice session. She was also given the coveted night session for her first game at the Indian Wells, also known as the BNP Paribas Open, ahead of established stars like Simona Halep and Petra Kvitova. 

Raducanu began the encounter brightly, winning five consecutive points as she won the first game to love. But as the game went on, her experienced opponent kept forcing errors to shift the tide back in her favour. 

Raducanu played much more strategically in the second set, lengthening points and targeting Sasnovich’s forehand. The ploy worked, as she led the set 4-2 at one point. However, her loose services gave the Belarusian an opening, who won four consecutive games for the win.