Emma Raducanu’s wretched run of form has continued.
Emma Raducanu took on Ekaterina Alexandrova in Qatar (Image: Getty)
Emma Raducanu has crashed out in the first round of the Qatar Open following a straight sets defeat to Ekaterina Alexandrova. It is the Brit’s fourth loss in a row as her wretched form goes on following her Australian Open exit.
Raducanu was beaten by her Russian opponent 6-3 7-5 and it’s back to the drawing board again for the 22-year-old, who was handed a tough draw in Doha.
It took Raducanu too long to get going in her opening round match, and she ultimately paid the price despite putting up a fight in the second set against an opponent who is in confident form at present.
Alexandrova has won five matches in a row now, stark contrast to Raducanu, as she continues to soak up her title win in Linz last week after two previous runner-up finishes.
Next up for the Russian is a daunting match-up against world No.1 and three-time Grand Slam champion Aryna Sabalenka, who was given a bye into the secound round.
Following her victory, Alexandrova – beaten by Raducanu at the Australian Open – was quizzed on court about her battle against the Belarusian star. She replied: “For sure it’s gonna be difficult. She plays amazing. She’s a top player. I lost to her at US Open last year, so maybe there’s gonna be a chance We’ll see.”
Raducanu, who catapulted into the spotlight thanks to her incredible triumph at the US Open as a teenager in 2021, had taken an early 3-1 lead in the opening set.
However, Alexandrova finally got going and managed to reel in five consecutive games to grab the first set.
Ekaterina Alexandrova continued her fine form to down Emma Raducanu (Image: Getty)
The second set was a tightly-contested affair, with Alexandrova again coming from an early break down. And at 5-5, the 30-year-old grabbed the break at the best possible time.
And she held her nerve to close out the victory and set up her second-round contest with Sabalenka, who is still reeling from her Australian Open final heartbreak against Madison Keys.
The American upset Sabalanka on the Rod Laver Arena in three sets, winning 6-2 2-6 7-5 to seal her first-ever Grand Slam title.
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