Raducanu's suffers Eastbourne exit
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.
"I'd prefer to not go in to it, if that's OK, but I just received some really bad news so I'm trying to overcome that in the background," she said after beating Li.
World number 38 Raducanu is building towards her fourth Wimbledon appearance, where she has twice reached the fourth round since her debut in 2021.
A run to the quarter-finals at Queen's Club two weeks ago was enough to see the 2021 US Open champion regain the British number one position for the first time in two years.
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.
"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.
"I'm an aggressive player, I like to use my backhand and I'm trying to learn to play on all courts."
Joint, who was ranked 684th at the start of 2024, faces world number 69 Anna Blinkova in the quarter-finals.
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.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
7 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Pacquiao 'hungry' for comeback after four-year layoff
Fillipino boxer Manny Pacquiao spars at the Wild Card gym in Hollywood ahead of his comeback next month. Photo: AFP Manny Pacquiao said Wednesday that his lengthy layoff from boxing has reignited his passion for the sport as he prepares for next month's world welterweight title comeback against Mario Barrios. The 46-year-old Filipino boxing icon faces World Boxing Council (WBC) champion Barrios in Las Vegas on July 19, four years after his last fight ended in defeat. Pacquiao has reunited with long-time veteran trainer Freddie Roach for next month's title tilt, and spoke to journalists on Wednesday as he worked out at the Hall of Famer's Wild Card gym in Hollywood. "Four years rest has been good for me," Pacquiao said after showing off some impressive hand speed in an open pads session. "I've been in boxing for so many decades, so it's good for my body to rest for four years. "Now I'm back, I'm hungry to fight again. I'm hungry to fight in a big fight like this. To work hard, have discipline, everything like that." "I've missed boxing. I feel like the passion, the fire in my eyes, working hard -- it's still there." Pacquiao said while his recovery times were now slightly longer, he had not noticed any drop off in his physical conditioning. "I'm fast, I can move like I did before. I can run in the mountains with the young boxers, so I'm happy," he said. "I'm enjoying this training camp. There's a couple of adjustments for bodily recovery. We have to control the body, give my body time to rest and recover." Pacquiao, who won 12 world titles in eight different weight classes during a glittering professional career that began in 1995, refused to be drawn on whether his comeback next month would be "one and done" or just the first step of a full-fledged return to the sport. "It's hard to say," he said when asked about future bouts. "Now I'm back so one at a time, after this fight we can plan whatever we want." For some in boxing, however, Pacquiao's return to the ring represents an unnecessary risk. British promoter Eddie Hearn was the latest to cast doubt on the wisdom of the Filipino's comeback earlier this month, predicting that the 30-year-old Barrios will be "too young and too strong" for Pacquiao. Pacquiao smiled on Wednesday when asked for his response to Hearn's remarks. "Just watch on July 19th," he said. "It will be a good fight."
Express Tribune
7 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Raducanu's suffers Eastbourne exit
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. "I'd prefer to not go in to it, if that's OK, but I just received some really bad news so I'm trying to overcome that in the background," she said after beating Li. World number 38 Raducanu is building towards her fourth Wimbledon appearance, where she has twice reached the fourth round since her debut in 2021. A run to the quarter-finals at Queen's Club two weeks ago was enough to see the 2021 US Open champion regain the British number one position for the first time in two years. 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. "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. "I'm an aggressive player, I like to use my backhand and I'm trying to learn to play on all courts." Joint, who was ranked 684th at the start of 2024, faces world number 69 Anna Blinkova in the quarter-finals. 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.
Express Tribune
a day ago
- Express Tribune
Emma Raducanu's tears of joy
Emma Raducanu held back tears after sealing her place in the second round of the Eastbourne Open, while Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova survived match points to progress on Tuesday. Raducanu fought back from losing the opening set to American Ann Li to win 6-7 (5/7) 6-3 6-1 after nearly two-and-a-half hours on court. "It feels incredible. I want to thank the crowd for getting me through some really sticky moments," the former US Open champion said in her on-court interview. "It really meant a lot to me and I'm really proud of how I fought back after losing the first set. I'm very, very happy to come through that. "It was tough, it was up and down, but from the middle of the second set I think I found another gear and a another level." Raducanu missed last week's Berlin Open due to a back problem she has been nursing since before the French Open. But, aside from a slip and fall on the grass in set one, she appeared to come through her opening examination on England's south coast unscathed. Raducanu next faces Australian teenager Maya Joint, who knocked out two-time Wimbledon runner-up Ons Jabeur on Monday. Kreickova crashed out in the first round at Queen's two weeks ago on her return to the grass for the first time since her triumph at the All England Club last year. Britain's Harriet Dart had two match points on her own serve to secure arguably the biggest win of her career in the third set before the Czech fought back for a 6-3 6-7 (4/7) 7-5 victory. Kreickova will face another Brit in round two following Jodie Burrage's 6-3 6-2 win over Japan's Moyuka Uchijima. Third seed Jelena Ostapenko had an easier passage to round two with a 6-3, 7-6 (7/2) win over Sonay Kartal.
