Emma Raducanu Stunned Already In Her First Match After Australian Open
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Emma Raducanu didn't wait around after the Australian Open, and she played at the 2025 Singapore Open but lost already in the first round.
The British player chose to join the action already in the first week after the first Grand Slam tournament of the season. Since players who made it deep in Melbourne most often don't join these tournaments due to how challenging it would be to quickly travel, change time zones, and prepare, these events offer a great chance for lower-ranked players to shine.
Raducanu joined one of the tournaments right after the Australian Open, but instead of competing at the WTA 500 tournament in Linz, the 2021 US Open champion chose to compete at the Singapore Tennis Open, which is a WTA 250 tournament that returned to the calendar for the first time since 1994.
The British player was the seventh seed in Singapore, and in the first round of the event, she took on Cristina Bucsa. The Spanish player lost in the second round of the Australian Open to Leylah Fernandez, who Raducanu beat in that memorable US Open final.
The two have never met before, which is why this was a unique challenge for both of them. On top of that, they also had to play in unknown conditions, as obviously, neither of them had a chance to compete in Singapore before, even though Raducanu had practiced there in the past.
Already in the first game of the match, the British player had to save two break points, but since she was successful, she was then the player who could attack. She put her opponent under pressure in a couple of games and broke to lead 3-1.
But Raducanu's one-break advantage didn't last too long. She was immediately broken back, and from there, both players held their serve for some time. That was until Bucsa broke to lead 5-4 and served to win the first set of the match.
Miraculously, Raducanu started an inspired streak of points, and she not only broke back but broke the Spaniard's serve again to win the first set 7-5 after being down 4-5.
In the second set, however, the seventh seed fell behind again. She was already losing 2-4 when she managed to break back and level the score of the second set at 4-4.
Raducanu then led 5-4, but this time, she was the player who couldn't handle her nerves at the end of the set, as Bucsa won the last three games to win the set 7-5 and force the decider.
The third set was a proper rollercoaster. Raducanu led 2-0 and 3-1, before falling behind 3-4. She then broke back to make it 4-4 and even led 5-4.
However, similarly to the first two sets, the player who led 5-4 didn't win the set, as Bucsa proved to be too strong to overcome for Raducanu. The British player lost the match 7-5, 5-7, 5-7.
