Raducanu’s Madrid run comes to an end,
Raducanu’s Madrid run comes to an end, but Murray sets up a match with Djokovic.
Emma Raducanu was unable to advance further in the competition after being outplayed at the conclusion of a fight by a sharper and more seasoned opponent following an useful week in Madrid loaded with confidence and tenacity.
Despite many comebacks, Raducanu was lost in the third round by Anhelina Kalinina of Ukraine – 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 – despite suffering a back issue, while Andy Murray overcame Denis Shapovalov to go to the last 16.
“I’m quite pleased with the progress I’ve made over the previous few weeks, and I believe I’ve done something to build on and keep improving,” Raducanu said. “I feel like my attitude and view on how I’m treating things is a lot better right now.”
“I would have given myself a 5% chance of winning that match, and the fact that it almost happened was a bonus.” To be honest, I was having some difficulties with my back. All of the matches at this level have taken their toll on me this week, and I’ve been carrying some niggles with me. I believe that’s a good thing; I feel like I’m going through this and my body is becoming stronger with each match.”
Raducanu had gotten through two opponents in a week by coolly changing her strokes to suit the clay beneath her feet, but now she was up against a natural fit for both the surface and the occasion under the Caja Magica dome.
Kalinina had previously upset two grand slam champions, Sloane Stephens and Garbie Muruguza, the latter by a score of 6-3, 6-0, in her first two matches, and she was flying into the third round. She forced her heavier ball on Raducanu from the start, pulling the British player about with angles and her whippy topspin off both wings, always dominating the baseline.
Raducanu struck an increasingly fatigued figure as the opening set drifted away from her, occasionally holding her back as the unforced errors mounted up. She promptly sought a medical break for the back ailment after the opening set. She reacted brilliantly, breaking serve to take a 2-0 lead. Even after losing the break, she kept the momentum going by serving brilliantly under pressure and using all of her defensive skills to force Kalinina into a third set.
Kalinina led 3-1 and had two break opportunities for a double break but couldn’t convert in a game that included a horrifying drive volley into the back barrier. Raducanu dug deep, turning a 4-3 deficit into a 4-3 advantage on serve. But it was Kalinina, with her angles and penchant for a dramatic upset, who came out on top in the last three games.
Meanwhile, late into the night in Madrid, Murray defeated Shapovalov 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 to advance to the third round and set up a confrontation with his oldest and closest adversary, Novak Djokovic.
As Murray wants to discover how far he can push his level at this point of his career in his first ATP clay court tournament in five years, there will be no bigger litmus test than the world No 1 in their 37th match and the first since 2017 when Murray was ranked No 1 and Djokovic was ranked No 2.
Despite the setback, Raducanu leaves Madrid with an optimistic attitude. She displayed why she trusts her own judgement throughout the event after revealing her break with coach Torben Beltz prior to the tournament. She also appears to have established a beneficial interim arrangement with Iain Bates, the LTA’s head of women’s tennis, and technical advisor Louis Cayer, who spends the most of his time as the LTA’s doyen of men’s doubles.
Earlier in the competition, Raducanu acknowledged her delight with the weekly grind of professional tennis, stating that she has learnt to embrace the challenge of rebounding back from failure as well as victory. She’ll have to do it again as she prepares for the Italian Open in Rome, another WTA 1000 event that starts next week.
Earlier, 20-year-old British Jack Draper battled world No. 8 Andrey Rublev till the bitter end before falling 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 in the second round.
