Emma Raducanu Wastes Too Many Chances To Lose Her Fourth Consecutive Match
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Emma Raducanu doesn't seem to be able to find her form. She has already lost her fourth consecutive match.
The British player ended the 2024 season well, and she started this season really well, too. In fact, Raducanu was on a five-match winning streak when she reached the third round of the Australian Open. It was the first time since her US Open win that she has won five matches in a row, even though they were split by an off-season.
But after that, the 2021 US Open champion's 2025 season has turned into a bit of a nightmare. Iga Swiatek gave Raducanu a proper reality check when she beat her 6-1, 6-0.
The Brit then lost to Cristina Bucsa in the first round of the Singapore Open. She then also lost in the first round of the Abu Dhabi Open to Marketa Vondrousova.
Raducanu certainly wanted to forget all of those losses at the 2025 Qatar Open in Doha. It's the first WTA 1000 tournament of the season, and she was given a wild card. That presented her with an opportunity to collect some valuable ranking points so she wouldn't have to rely on the wild cards in the future.
Her first-round opponent was Ekaterina Alexandrova. That was a relatively good draw for Raducanu, as she beat the Russian player in Melbourne this year.
This time, she started well, too, and it seemed that her season might start to turn for the better again. Raducanu broke first, and she led 3-1 and 40-15 in the first set of the match.
However, she missed out on multiple chances to win the first set. First, she couldn't convert three break points at 3-1. The Brit was then broken, and the scoreboard showed 3-3.
She then had yet another break point, but again, she couldn't use it. Alexandrova then worked her way to a chance to break, and after using that, the Russian player completed a comeback from 1-3 down to win the first set 6-3.
Raducanu had a chance to overcome the first-set heartbreak, and she started the second set well. The 22-year-old led 40-0 on her serve, but again, three game points were not enough for her.
But even though she was broken to start the second set, Raducanu was once again able to lead 3-1 after breaking her opponent's serve twice.
But it was just a day of missed chances for the Brit. She lost that one-break advantage, and at 5-5, the former WTA World No. 10 felt the pressure.
Alexandrova had a break point, and the Russian player was able to play better in the closing stages of this match to win it 6-3, 7-5, to book a second-round spot.
While Raducanu will return to the practice court in an attempt to improve before the next event, Alexandrova will prepare for her second-round match against the World No. 1, Aryna Sabalenka.
