Emma Raducanu out of Madrid Open despite ‘injuring' opponent in warm-up
Emma Raducanu's powerful ground strokes were not enough to see off an injured Marta Kostyuk, who unusually claimed after her second-round victory at the Madrid Open that the pain in her wrist was caused by her British opponent during the warm-up.
Raducanu's participation in this prestigious WTA 1000 tournament was brought to an end with a 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 defeat in two hours and 17 minutes. The 22-year-old battled hard to take the match to a deciding set but was ultimately let down by her misfiring serve towards the end.
Kostyuk deserves much credit for holding off the fightback despite an untimely issue with her right wrist. After winning the first set, the world No36 from Ukraine required a medical timeout to receive treatment from the tournament physio, before later revealing that the cause was the power of Raducanu's feeding during the volley drill in the pre-match warm-up.
'Emma was hitting the ball very hard in the warm-up so I think I overstretched it [her wrist] in the volley,' Kostyuk said. 'It just got progressively worse but I don't think it was anything bad. It was just a very weird pain.'
Kostyuk, also aged 22, was not suggesting any malice on Raducanu's part. The pair get on reasonably well as former contemporaries on the junior circuit and shared a polite handshake across the net after this contest.
Ultimately, the result shows the different ways in which the respective careers of Kostyuk and Raducanu have progressed in recent years. Their previous meeting was at this tournament three years ago, with Raducanu cruising to a 6-2, 6-1 win. Kostyuk has since risen up the world rankings, while Raducanu has gone in the opposite direction to her present position of No49.
Raducanu still does not look fully comfortable on the clay and a little hesitant, whether it is with her shots or her movement. She also struggled on serve when it mattered most in the third set, conceding a break on three occasions. This was terminal against a strong opponent such as Kostyuk, who looked far more comfortable on the surface.
'I lost a very easy match to her three years ago, which obviously was not very good memories,' Kostyuk said. 'I know Emma is a great fighter, has achieved a lot and can play amazing tennis. I knew it was going to be a battle. I am very happy for the win.'
Raducanu now has a week off before her next scheduled tournament at the Italian Open in Rome. This will likely be filled with more training on the clay with Mark Petchey and Jane O'Donoghue, who are coaching her on an informal basis at present.
British representation in the women's singles in Madrid is now over after Katie Boulter and Sonay Kartal also suffered defeats earlier in the day. Boulter was given a clay-court schooling by one of the world's best players on the surface, losing 6-1, 6-2 in 61 minutes to Jasmine Paolini, the world No6 from Italy.
Kartal was well beaten too in a 6-3, 6-1 loss to Elina Svitolina, the in-form world No17 from Ukraine who has won 16 consecutive sets in eight matches, including a run to the title at last week's Rouen Open. Kartal can at least console herself with the knowledge that her first-round win has edged her closer to the top 50 at a projected ranking of No54.
In the men's draw, all three British competitors will contest the second round on Saturday. Jack Draper, who sits at a career-high world ranking of No6, received a first-round bye and will open his campaign against Tallon Griekspoor, the world No34 from the Netherlands. Jacob Fearnley and Cameron Norrie both face Czech opposition in Tomas Machac and Jiri Lehecka respectively.
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