Emma Raducanu: British star ‘struggled with everything’ in first-round Qatar Open exit, Iga Swiatek and Naomi Osaka win
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Updated 12/02/2024 at 19:19 GMT
Emma Raducanu was beaten in straight sets by Anhelina Kalinina in the first round of the Qatar Open on Monday, where the Brit made 48 unforced errors in an underwhelming performance. The Ukrainian sealed the match 6-0 7-6 (6) with a second-set tiebreak after the former US Open champion squandered set point. “I was struggling with everything, Raducanu said. “I felt like I never really got into it.”
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Emma Raducanu said she “struggled with everything” during her first-round exit at the Qatar Open on Monday, while top seed Iga Swiatek and Naomi Osaka progressed.
The Brit was beaten in straight sets by Anhelina Kalinina, who eventually sealed a 6-0 7-6(6) victory following a thrilling second set.
Raducanu has endured a tough period since her return following a long injury lay-off and was knocked out of the Australian Open in the second round against Wang Yafan in January.
The 21-year-old then fell at the same stage of the Abu Dhabi Open last week when she was convincingly beaten by world No. 7 Ons Jabeur.
“I was struggling with everything - serve, return, forehand, backhand. I felt like I never really got into it,” Raducanu told Sky Sports following her defeat in Qatar.
“It was a combination of things. It was the first day match I have played in a year. That is different. I need to practise training outside a bit more. The lights, conditions, shadows, it is really hard to see the ball, I found towards the end.
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“When my tennis isn't there I have to try and at least fight and I did that in the second set. I just struggled with the timing of the ball. It will come with more time practising as well as matches.”
The former US Open champion made 48 unforced errors during the match, with her Ukrainian counterpart conceding only 22.
In the second-set tie-break, Raducanu had set point at 6-5 on her serve but Kalinina saved it to stay in contention, before eventually edging out the Brit by winning the following two points.
Raducanu will return home following a busy period on tour and admitted she needed to improve her playing schedule.
“It is hard for me to get used to the tour schedule,” she explained. “It is one tournament then another straight away.
“I need to schedule my tournaments a bit better and try to get more matches under my belt."
Top seed and two-time defending champion Iga Swiatek cruised through with a 6-1 6-1 win over Sorana Cirstea.
The world No. 1 made short work of the Romanian in 61 minutes to earn a last-16 tie against Erika Andreeva or 14th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Swiatek is on the hunt for her first title of the season as she looks to bounce back from the disappointment of a shock third-round exit to Linda Noskova at the first Grand Slam of the year in Melbourne.
She was in fine form in Doha, taking six break points and serving so strongly that she didn’t face any.
The Pole is aiming to become the first player to win the Qatar Open three times, and the first to win a WTA Tour event in three consecutive years since Serena Williams in Miami from 2013 to 2015.
Four-time major champion Naomi Osaka continued her comeback with an impressive 7-5 6-4 win over Caroline Garcia.
The former world No. 1 secured victory in one hour and 28 minutes to set up a second-round clash with Petra Martic.
It also saw her claim some revenge against 15th seed Garcia after losing to the French player at the Australian Open last month, where Osaka made her first appearance at a major since the end of 2022 following maternity leave.
Garcia started strongly on serve, winning 11 points in a row, but Osaka found the breakthrough at the opportune moment, breaking while Garcia was serving for the set at 5-4.
Osaka saw off a couple of break points to edge in front, before breaking once again to complete a first-set turnaround and gain the advantage.
One more break proved enough in the second set as the Japanese advanced impressively.
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