Emma Raducanu’s reign as US Open champion is over as the Briton’s title defense ends in the first round after a straight sets loss to world number 40 Alize Cornet, under the lights of New York.
- Defending champion Emma Raducanu lost 6-3, 6-3 to Alize Cornet on Tuesday
- The British teenager crashed out in straight sets defeat in the opening round
- Raducanu managed to break the French player four times throughout the match
- But the veteran eventually beat the 19-year-old in a well-deserved win
By Isabel Baldwin for Dailymail.Com
Posted: 22:31, August 30, 2022 | Updated: 03:32, 31 August 2022
Emma Raducanu’s reign as US Open champion has come to an end and she will make an abrupt return to the ranks after a first-round loss to French veteran Alize Cornet.
On a windswept night in New York, the Kent teenager was unable to replicate the extraordinary feats of twelve months ago and surrendered the trophy at the first time of asking.
Cornet won 6-3 6-3 in 102 minutes and while there was plenty of resilience, he was not backed up by enough consistency in tricky conditions.
Emma Raducanu’s reign as US Open champion came to an end when she was defeated on Tuesday night
French veteran Alize Cornet beat the defending US Open champion in straight sets
There was a lot of resistance from the Brit, but it wasn’t backed up by enough consistency
The versatile and unpredictable game of the talented veteran proved too much with Raducanu committing 31 unforced errors in a game full of them. He also did not find his service and joined the many illustrious names that have fallen to Cornet throughout his long career.
Raducanu may have been hampered by the resurgence of blisters on her finger, but it might not be a bad thing if her ranking now settles at a level that will require a rebuild.
The pressures will certainly be less as you go down around number 80 after that, more than 2000 points that have taken your computer down.
The 19-year-old may have been hampered by the resurgence of blisters on her finger
Raducanu had been waiting for this moment for nearly 50 weeks and was forced to hold on for an extra half hour due to an overflow from the day session at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
He could have hoped for an immediate return to Arthur Ashe, but had to settle for the secondary arena on a windy evening with a hint of rain in the air.
Cornet was one of the toughest draws the British player could have had, ranked just outside the rankings at No.40 and in fine form this summer. His streak of playing 63 consecutive Majors began when Raducanu was just four years old.
The French world number 40 was one of the toughest draws the British player could have had
The defending champion received a standing ovation when she entered the court with tape on her fingers that was immediately noticeable. It was clear from the start how streaks would be a big factor.
With the wind coming from behind, Cornet threw two double faults on the last play into Mets Stadium and Raducanu broke through.
That end, which had former Wimbledon champion Virginia Wade close in front, was hard to hold and Raducanu broke immediately.
Raducanu gave Louis Armstrong a standing ovation, but the tape was visible on his fingers
Raducanu broke in the first set, but was immediately broken by Cornet
There were five breaks in total in the first set, although both players did a good job controlling the ball. Cornet’s superb touch saw her hit three exquisite lobs to frustrate the British number one when she was in a winning position.
Raducanu broke back to make it 4-2, but then struggled to control the ball to fall behind again, and Cornet almost closed it out to become the first player to beat the Kent teenager in Flushing Meadows.
The end of the set prompted Raducanu’s familiar call from the physio to attend to his blisters, which also popped up nearly nine months ago in Australia.
The French player has shown exquisite play at the net with a series of stick shots
After the break, it immediately broke, but then leveled off as Cornet appeared to be partially distracted by the roof closing in on him with raindrops beginning to fall.
Three games have marked the path of the teenager to reach 3-1 with the double faults of the French player, but the type of Raducanu Roll seen a year ago has not materialized.
There’s still a lot of work to be done before it becomes the finished article, and the process might be easier living more in the shadows.
Relive all the action from Emma Raducanu’s opening round loss to Alize Cornet at the US Open with ISABEL BALDWIN’s Sportsmail live blog.