Laura Robson has delivered her instant reaction to Emma Raducanu’s crushing US Open defeat at the hands of the ruthless Elena Rybakina.
It was a comprehensive performance from the 26-year-old, who was hitting the ball with supreme power that would have troubled anyone on tour.
Just as it felt like the British number one was building towards a top-level victory, she was brought right back down to earth by the world number ten.
Marion Bartoli noticed Raducanu trying to encourage herself mid-match, but it was simply not enough.
Elena Rybakina was too good, but Robson has since argued that Emma Raducanu didn’t help herself.
Laura Robson assesses Emma Raducanu’s loss to Elena Rybakina
Speaking live on Sky Sports, she first conceded: “Rybakina has played a great match there.
“In terms of groundstrokes, she was playing so freely and going for her shots, but she was never rushed. I think that was the big thing that stood out. I was courtside. So Rybakina was able to get away with less of a first serve percentage than she has had in her first two matches because Raducanu maybe was not committed tactically one way or the other.
“It felt like at times she was trying to hit big and the next point she would take half a step back so it gave Rybakina this easy rhythm to work with and she was able to put so much pressure with her forehand going cross court and opening up the lines, being the first player to get that first strike in made a huge difference.”
Robson then highlighted the errors that cropped up in Raducanu’s game throughout, continuing: “I totally agree, Rybakina was hitting her spots.
“But early on, Raducanu was going too much through the middle of the court with her return and against Rybakina, you have to get her on the stretch, she is so comfortable soaking that pace up. I think tactically, Emma made the change too late in the game.
“We saw Emma go a bit further back in the return position towards the end of the match, but it felt like Rybakina was in such a rhythm by that point.”
Emma Raducanu has still enjoyed the best year of her career
Whilst people will argue that her 2021 season is the best of her career by some distance, 2025 is undeniably the most important for her career in the long term.
After all, it marks the first time since her breakthrough onto the tour that she has found consistency across both her form and fitness.
She may not have added a title anywhere near that US Open of four years ago, or enjoyed a subsequent rankings boost akin to the one she received after that triumph either.
However, what she has done is engineered a run of form that has not been inflated by a one-off tournament, but instead meticulously curated through hard work and regular matches.
It’s a testament to this notion that Raducanu has won the most tour-level matches of her career in a single year (26) in 2025, and genuinely seems to be building towards long-term tangible growth and success.
