French Open: Emma Raducanu's journey ends with a heavy defeat to Iga Swiatek
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Britain's Emma Raducanu 's promising French Open campaign came to an abrupt end on Wednesday(May 28) after a commanding 6-1, 6-2 defeat to defending champion and four-time Roland-Garros winner Iga Swiatek From the start of the match, it was clear this would be a tough day for Raducanu. Despite a competitive opening few games, Swiatek quickly turned up the pressure, using her powerful groundstrokes and superior court coverage to pull away.The Polish star, who has now won 23 consecutive matches at Roland-Garros dating back to 2022, broke Raducanu's serve twice to close the first set 6-1. The second set saw a similar pattern, with Swiatek breaking early and finishing the match with authority.Raducanu, Britain's No. 2 player, acknowledged the challenge of facing a player of Swiatek's caliber. 'I think every time we have played she plays really well,' Raducanu said. 'It kind of puts really a lot of pressure on from the beginning, makes me feel like I have to maybe do something extra or I just don't know what to do in the moment.'This match was a tough replay of their Australian Open meeting earlier this year, where Raducanu won only a single game against Swiatek. 'It just shows, I guess, the distance that I have to improve,' she added candidly.Raducanu's journey at Roland-Garros, though brief this time, reflects the growing pains of a young player on the rise. After capturing global attention with her stunning 2021 US Open title as a qualifier, expectations have been high. But as she transitions from teenage prodigy to a consistent contender, matches like this are valuable lessons.Despite the loss, Raducanu remained upbeat about the future. 'I don't feel demotivated,' she said. 'Since Miami, I've really started building some momentum compared to where I came from at the start of the year, and it makes me just want to keep going after a couple of days off and then get on the grass.' Raducanu will now turn her attention to the grass-court season, with Wimbledon just weeks away.For Swiatek, the victory solidifies her status as the dominant force on clay. The 23-year-old Polish star, who won the French Open in 2020, 2022, 2023, and 2024, said, 'I honestly just love playing here, this place really inspires me and makes me work harder.' She admitted the tricky wind conditions required some adjustment but felt confident throughout.Meanwhile, other notable results on Wednesday(May 28) included Italian fourth seed Jasmine Paolini and China's Qinwen Zheng advancing to the third round. On the men's side, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz cruised into the next round, while Norway's Casper Ruud suffered a shock defeat.
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