Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu falls in the first round after a three-set loss to Canada’s Bianca Andreescu at the Miami Open
Emma Raducanu faced the player she has so much in common with last night, but it was her former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu who came out on top in the first round of the Miami Open.
The 20-year-old from Kent forced plenty of chances but against someone born in the same city – Toronto – she lost 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 in two hours and 33 minutes, her longest game of the season Date.
The battle of the two former teenage grand slam champions was of surging quality. Sometimes it was easy to understand why they had both triumphed at Flushing Meadows, sometimes you wondered how it could have happened.
Andreescu has the last four games to win and confirm their 41-place dominance, although the few weeks at least suggest Raducanu are playing at a better level than their current list of 71.
They got on the field around noon and walked out to the stadium that had been built in the Miami Dolphins’ huge NFL arena. One of the challenges is that when the sun breaks through, it casts a difficult shadow across half the course.
British tennis sensation Emma Raducanu was eliminated at the Miami Open on Wednesday
Canada’s Bianca Andreescu won the opening round matchup 6-3, 3-6, 6-2
Despite the loos, Raducanu seems to be playing at a better level than their list of 71
Raducanu played her attacking game in the first set only to find it was largely soaked up by Andreescu, who showed why she beat so many good players to win at Flushing Meadows in 2019.
With her multiple angles and turns, she disrupted the rhythm of the British player, who often just missed the lines. Andreescu’s first serve wasn’t that consistent, but when he went in, she won 90 percent of the points in the opener.
With unforced errors flowing freely, Raducanu started to get back into the game but she couldn’t make up for the early break of serve that left her 3-0 behind.
Raducanu put more pressure on from the start of the second set and forced a break point to make it 1-0, which was saved by an excellent body serve. When she forced another when the score was 4-3, with the Canadian on the back foot, Andreescu pulled an ace out of her pocket.
Andreescu continued to mix up her spins, often throwing in a crazed forehand to thwart her opponent, but the 2021 New York winner grew more confident.
The second set finally tipped when Raducanu scored a seventh break point with a forehand at 4-3, and she went on to serve it with a contrasting lack of effort.
The 20-year-old from Kent forced three break points early in the third game, which was followed by a long break after both players left the pitch. Not being able to take either of them looked like a turning point as Andreescu rediscovered some of the better form she had shown in the first set.
The Canadian made her pay for it when she broke 4-2 and when Raducanu had a chance to win that back, she immediately threw a backhand into the net. There was no going back from that.
Raducanu played her attacking game in the first set but it was absorbed by her opponent
Andreescu continued to mess up her turns, throwing in a crazed forehand to thwart Raducanu