Australian Open 2024: Emma Raducanu Bows Out Early
It’s all over for the Brit in the Australian Open 2024. It was disappointment again for Emma Raducanu, who, despite a valiant effort while feeling unwell against China’s Wang Yafan, couldn’t quite cement her place in the third round of the Grand Slam.
Raducanu can be forgiven for being sluggish in the first set and unwell in the second. The young Briton has been out for over eight months with injuries and surgeries and will undoubtedly feel that her second-round exit shows progress after a difficult period since her stunning US Open win in 2021 as an eighteen-year-old wild card.
Raducanu vs. Rogers Round II
Since that fateful day when she won the hearts of tennis fans worldwide, Emma Raducanu has been plagued with injuries, illness, poor performances, and a revolving door of coaches. The long road of recovery saw her perform well in Auckland in her comeback test before her first Grand Slam of the year.
In the first round, Raducanu was paired with American Shelby Rogers, an opponent she’s already put away on her run to US Open success a few years back; two straight sets saw the young Briton win 6-3 and 6-2 to send in her into an exciting second round clash against China’s Wang Yafan.
That Sickening Feeling
Right from the start of the second-round encounter, Raducanu looked in trouble. Wayward hits were followed by a sudden illness, which saw her retching between serves. The player was clearly unwell, but that didn’t stop her from putting up a valiant effort, holding her serves to come back at Wang and win the second set 6-4 after losing the first 4-6.
In the final set, an improving Raducanu began to chase after her Chinese counterpart, trailing 3-4, with games going each way. However, when a drop shot took the score to 30-30 on Wang’s serve, there was hope that the former US Open winner would convert it into a lead and take the game. It wasn’t to be, though, with a big serve from Wang taking the set to 3-5. In the final moments, despite a valiant effort, Raducanu could only force Wang to serve for the match, which she did twice, taking her place in the third round of a Grand Slam for the very first time with a two-match-point lead in the end, taking the final game 4-6.
Wang Was a Bridge Too Far
The defeat is by no means terrible news for Emma Raducanu. Her performance, despite being unwell, was nothing short of resilient and impressive. She may be leaving the Australian Open in the second round, but the confidence gained to fight back against the Chinese world number 30 is immense. Wang, meanwhile, can look forward to her third-round match against compatriot Zheng Qinwen, who knocked out Raducanu’s compatriot, Katie Boulter, earlier in the day.
Is Anyone Left Carrying the Flag for Britain?
Emma Raducanu’s exit from the second round of the Australian Open 2024 , along with Boulter’s own defeat saw Britain’s hopes of success in the women’s tournament end. Bettors who fancy their chances will now have to rest their hopes on Cameron Norrie, who has set himself up for a third-round match against Norway’s Casper Ruud in the men’s tournament, with the winner set to face world number 6, Germany’s Alexander Zverev, or America’s Alex Michelsen in the fourth round.
