Emma Raducanu featured in her first final since the 2021 US Open earlier today, but was well beaten by Sorana Cirstea.
It was the perfect final for the Romanian crowd, who got to see their hometown hero beat the British number one, who has a strong relationship with this country, given that it’s where her father is from.
Across the last week, she has joked with the crowd and thanked them for their unwavering support.
Alas, it unsurprisingly came to an end today, as Cirstea hammered Emma Raducanu off the court from the first minute.
Reaction to Emma Raducanu’s heavy loss in the final
Speaking live on Sky Sports after the final, which finished with an unflattering 6-0, 6-2 scoreline, Miles Maclagan delivered his immediate reaction.
A former coach of Andy Murray’s, he was sympathetic to the 22-year-old, who had impressed throughout the last week to reach this stage.
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However, a gruelling semi-final win clearly took plenty out of her, and Raducanu lacked the necessary grit and energy to summon any fightback.
Maclagan admitted: “It was a combination of issues. It was the perfect start from Sorana Cirstea; she came out full of purpose, full of aggression, and it worked for her.
“There were some moments there where Raducanu could have worked her way into the match, and just created a little more stress for Cirstea. Even with the way the first set, the first eight games flashed by, she got it back to 2-2 in the second. That fifth game in the second, how significant was it? If Cirstea hadn’t been able to pull herself through, might things have changed?
“It didn’t seem to me that it was fatigue, obviously there was some sort of physical issue for Raducanu, by the end [she] wasn’t chasing balls.”
But he sought to find the positives, adding: “But it’s a positive week, any time you get to a final, put those back-to-back matches [together], I feel that’s what Raducanu needs, because there has been so many injuries, so much chopping and changing with the coaches. A little bit of consistency, some belief, you need to put those matches in the bank to start to trust your body, start to trust your decision-making in tough circumstances.
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“When the dust settles, there will be some positives, but it’s not the final that Raducanu wanted, we wanted, and to some degree, Cristea. Sort of a foregone conclusion a few games from the end.”
Emma Raducanu’s speech after losing in the final
Speaking after the final, Raducanu was unsurprisingly downbeat.
However, she was gracious in defeat, and took time to thank the fans, officials and congratulate her far superior opponent.
She noted: “I want to say thank you to all of the ball kids, all the umpires, all the sponsors who made this tournament possible. There’s so much work that goes on behind the scenes, and also, I want to thank the public, for sure.
“You really made me feel at home this week, so thank you. Sorry, today, I couldn’t bring my best.
“Congratulations as well to Sorana [Cirstea], you have had an incredible week, and I think you’re playing great tennis. I don’t know if this is your last tournament in Cluj, but I know if it was me, I would be out on a high, so congrats for everything!
“Honestly, it’s been a while since I’ve given one of these speeches, so I also want to thank Alexis [Canter] and the people back home, who have supported me throughout the last few years. It’s been like four or five years since my last final, it means a lot, and I’m really happy that it’s here in Cluj.”
