Raducanu's Wimbledon build-up hit by Eastbourne exit
EASTBOURNE: Emma Raducanu suffered a setback ahead of Wimbledon as the former US Open champion crashed to a shock defeat against Australian teenager Maya Joint in the second round at Eastbourne on Wednesday.
After a difficult year marred by poor form and back problems, Raducanu had hoped for a morale-boosting run at Eastbourne before Wimbledon starts on Monday.
But the British star slumped to a 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7/4) loss that leaves her short of match practice leading into the grass-court Grand Slam.
Raducanu missed last week's Berlin Open due to the back problem she has been nursing since before the French Open.
On Tuesday, the 22-year-old held back tears after recovering from a set down to defeat American Ann Li in the Eastbourne first round, then admitted she had been dealing with "some really bad news."
World number 38 Raducanu, who won the US Open in 2021, is building towards her fourth Wimbledon appearance, where she has twice reached the fourth round.
But Joint had knocked out two-time Wimbledon runner-up Ons Jabeur in the first round on Monday and the 19-year-old made Raducanu her second high-profile victim of the week.
"I feel quite tired. Just going through some stuff and I need to do my best to get my head in the game ahead of next week," Raducanu said.
"Realistically, the turnaround (to Wimbledon) is pretty soon. I'm just going to start with a day off tomorrow and then hopefully I can get on the court on Friday."
Joint faces world number 69 Anna Blinkova in the quarter-finals.
"Today was really tough, there were a lot of ups and downs and momentum switches. I was really glad I could tough it out in the end. The atmosphere was amazing," the world number 51 said after the second grass-court win of her career.
Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova saved three match points to reach the quarter-finals with a gutsy 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7/3) against Britain's Jodie Burrage.
Twenty four hours after Harriet Dart spurned two match points against Krejcikova, the second-seeded Czech had to dig deep again to avoid defeat after falling 0-40 down at 5-6 in the deciding set.
Former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko pulled out due a foot injury with the score 0-6, 6-2, 3-2 against Alexandra Eala, a 20-year-old qualifier from the Philippines.
In the men's event at Eastbourne, British world number 170 Dan Evans enjoyed a surprise 6-4 3-6, 6-3 win against second seed Tommy Paul.
Defending champion Taylor Fritz's second-round clash with rising Brazilian star Joao Fonseca was suspended at one set all due to bad light.
Fritz, the world number five, has won the Eastbourne title three times.
The American took the first set 6-3, but the 18-year-old Fonseca, ranked 57th, hit back to win the second 7-6 (7/5), forcing the match to be played to a conclusion on Thursday.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Tennis-Wimbledon champion Krejcikova out of Eastbourne with injury
EASTBOURNE, England (Reuters) -Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova has suffered an injury scare after being forced to withdraw from the Eastbourne tournament on Thursday because of a thigh issue. The Czech player had reached the quarter-finals at Devonshire Park after saving match points in victories over British players Harriet Dart and Jodie Burrage. "I'm very sorry to have to withdraw from my QF today in Eastbourne as I'm having some soreness in my right thigh," the 29-year-old Krejcikova said on social media. "I've truly enjoyed my time down here the past week and loved being back on the grass." Krejcikova looked to be moving okay against Burrage but with the defence of her Wimbledon crown beginning on Tuesday she has taken the decision to fully recover. Her withdrawal means French qualifier Varvara Gracheva is in the semi-finals. (Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Ken Ferris)
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Letshanaa won't carried away after stunner over former world champion Okuhara
Letshanaa reacts during the National Junior Finals in Seremban. PETALING JAYA: It is always satisfying to defeat a more established opponent, especially one who is a former world champion. But women's singles shuttler K. Letshanaa is not getting carried away with her first-round triumph over 2017 world champion Nozomi Okuhara at the US Open on Wednesday. Instead, she knows that consistency is what truly matters. Letshanaa needed just 31 minutes to send the Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medallist packing with an emphatic 21-8, 21-19 win. Her teammate Wong Ling Ching also delivered a fine performance by edging fourth seed Hsu Wen-chi of Taiwan 21-17, 19-21, 22-20 in a hard-fought three-game battle. Former men's singles player Roslin Hashim believes the victories are a timely morale boost for Malaysia's women's singles camp, which has long been seen as one of the weaker departments in the national squad. Roslin hopes the wins will give Letshanaa and Ling Ching the belief they need to climb the world rankings steadily. 'This is a very encouraging sign for the women's singles squad,' said Roslin. 'Even if Okuhara was not at her best, the fact remains that Letshanaa managed to defeat a former world champion. That is a positive result and it shows that our women's singles players still have potential. 'But they must not become complacent. Too often, we see our players beat a big name only to fall at the next hurdle. What is important now is for them to stay consistent.' Letshanaa will now aim to prove that her win over Okuhara was no fluke when she takes on India's Aakarshi Kashyap in the second round. It will be their first meeting, and their world rankings are close, with Aakarshi placed just one spot above Letshanaa at No. 50. Ling Ching will face Bulgaria's Kaloyana Nalbantova, who is ranked No. 75 in the world. Malaysia also have representation in the men's singles through Justin Hoh, who will take on Taiwan's Liao Jhuo-fu in the second round. Justin had earlier cruised past Belgium's Julien Carragi 21-10, 21-10 in just 27 minutes.
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Tennis-Draper ready for Wimbledon spotlight as great British hope
FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Queen's Club Championships - Queen's Club, London, Britain - June 21, 2025 Britain's Jack Draper reacts during his semi-final match against Czech Republic's Jiri Lehecka Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra/File Photo LONDON (Reuters) -For a brief two weeks every year the British public becomes hooked on tennis, desperately seeking a home player to cheer to sporting glory on the fabled lawns of Wimbledon and this year the spotlight falls on Jack Draper. For decades, it was a cause for hysteria if a British player survived to the second week of the singles. Then came Tim Henman's multiple journeys to the semi-finals before Andy Murray became a national hero by ending a 77-year wait for a men's champion by winning the title in 2013, before repeating the feat three years later. Johanna Konta reached the semi-finals in 2017, as did Cameron Norrie in 2022, and Emma Raducanu's astonishing U.S. Open triumph as a qualifier in 2021 means she is now saddled with trying to become the first British player to win the women's title since Virginia Wade in 1977. Murray is now retired and will have a statue erected in his honour at the All England Club but, right on cue, Draper has stepped into the breach and looks capable of shouldering a nation's hopes on his broad shoulders. Draper, 23, has won only two matches in three previous visits to Wimbledon. But the past 12 months has seen him evolve from a player regarded as physically fragile to a beast of the courts with the weapons to challenge the very best. He ended last year ranked 15th in the world after a dream run to the U.S. Open semi-finals, but Draper was clearly hungry to go much higher and after claiming the biggest title of his career at Indian Wells and reaching the final in Madrid, the left-hander will arrive at Wimbledon as the fourth seed. Blessed with a potent southpaw serve, a thunderbolt forehand some are likening to that of Rafa Nadal's and vastly improved physicality, the hype around the London-born Draper is not without good reason. "I've got to say he's become extremely formidable," three-times Wimbledon champion John McEnroe told Reuters last month. "He's a threat to anyone at this point. He's certainly going to be one of the top couple of favourites at Wimbledon and he's going to be extremely difficult to beat." SOARING EXPECTATIONS Draper got a taste of the soaring expectations last week at Queen's Club when he reached the semi-finals before losing to dangerous Czech player Jiri Lehecka. The spotlight will be turned up to maximum intensity when he begins his Wimbledon quest next week as the highest British men's seed since 2017. Draper will be front page news and his every move will be followed by a forest of camera lenses. Dealing with that pressure could prove as challenging as trying to de-throne Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz. Draper has spoken in the past of his tendency to over-stress and even vomit on court. A breathing coach has helped immensely with those issues and he looks the real deal, although taking the next step will be daunting. Murray knows full well what Draper can expect over the next fortnight, but is confident his successor is ready for it. "It'll be a little bit different this year coming in as a top seed but he'll deal with it well," Murray told the BBC. "He's played in difficult environments and under pressure before, and I'm sure he'll cope with it well." Draper seems ready for the challenge. "I'm going to Wimbledon and I'm going to feel amazing, I'm going to feel great about myself," he said at Queen's. "I'm going back there in the position I've always wanted since I was a kid." (Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Ken Ferris)
