Emma Raducanu’s hopes of another strong WTA 1000 run ended with a second-round loss to Marta Kostyuk at the Madrid Open.
The former US Open champion reached the quarter-finals of one of the WTA Tour’s premier events for the first time at the Miami Open last month but will not be repeating the feat in the Spanish capital.
Raducanu battled hard in a topsy-turvy clash with 24th seed Kostyuk but eventually fell to a 6-4 2-6 6-2 loss despite winning one more point than her opponent.
Raducanu had beaten her Ukrainian rival comfortably in their last meeting at the same tournament three years ago but made a poor start here.
She dug in to claw her way back from 1-3 to 3-3 only for two double faults to see her immediately drop serve again, with Kostyuk going on to take the opening set.
Kostyuk received treatment to her right wrist ahead of the second set and this time it was Raducanu who made the stronger start, with the 22-year-old levelling the match thanks to a run of four games in a row.
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