Emma Raducanu can ‘take many positives’ despite disappointing Miami Open loss
Despite playing some great tennis, Emma Raducanu suffered yet another early exit this time at the Miami Open but Tim Henman believes “she played just as well as she did at the US Open.”
19-year-old British sensation Raducanu succumbed to a 6-3, 4-6, 5-7 loss to top ranked doubles player Katerina Siniakova in an encounter that lasted just over 2 and a half hours.
The game truly ebbed-and-flowed as Siniakova struggled to weather the storm in the opening half of the match as the Brit took the first set.
However, the match seemed to mirror Raducanu’s Indian Wells Masters loss to Petra Martic two weeks ago. Much like that performance, Raducanu looked to tire late on which allowed her Czechian counterpart to gain the advantage.
The reigning US Open champion was making the right shots but was a fraction out on multiple occasions. She also converted just five out of a possible 17 break points.
In the deciding third set, Raducanu broke and served for the match at 5-4, but committed her first and only double fault.
A visibly disappointed Raducanu, then went on to lose the next three games and subsequently lost the match.
Speaking after the match, former British number one Tim Henman analysed Raducanu’s performance. He said “it’s an unbelievably tough loss for Emma.
“She did everything but win the match and the quality from both women was fantastic.
“Everyone is going to compare the way she played at the US Open to here, but I think she played just as well as she did in New York.
“The reality is all the big points and big games, she managed to win in New York. It hasn’t happened here, but that’s why is such a brutal sport.
“It’s a massive learning curve for Raducanu, but there are still so many positives to take from this match.”
Raducanu’s first professional hard-court season has drawn to a close and she will now turn her attention to the clay-court season.
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