Emma Raducanu was beaten by Aryna Sabalenka in an extremely close-fought match at the Cincinnati Open.
Raducanu lost to world number one Sabalenka, who made WTA history in their three set battle in Cincinnati.
Despite impressing with her performance, Raducanu has been told she made a costly error that caused her to lose the match against Sabalenka.
Sabalenka was full of praise for Raducanu after the match, and now the Briton has returned the favour.
Photo by Frey/TPN/Getty ImagesEmma Raducanu praises Aryna Sabalenka after their match at the Cincinnati Open
Sabalenka beat Raducanu, 7-6(3) 4-6 7-6(5), to extend her unbeaten record against the former US Open champion.
After the match, Raducanu spoke to press about the match and what Sabalenka did well against her.
Raducanu responded by pinpointing both Sabalenka’s serve and return, suggesting that is an area of her game that she would like to improve.
“I think starting the point is a big takeaway,” said Raducanu. “I think she [Sabalenka] did that incredibly well; in the big moments, she served and returned really well.
“I did too, in certain moments of the match, but to kind of hold that level on the starting point for the whole match, I think that’s a big thing for me.”
In the three hour and nine minute battle, Sabalenka hit eight aces past Raducanu, who actually hit 10 of her own.
However, the most notable difference is the number of double faults hit, with Sabalenka limiting herself to just three, whereas Raducanu hit a costly nine.
Sabalenka had to hold off some pressure from Raducanu at the start of the deciding set, before really putting a lot of emphasis into her own return games, that included one lasting 23 minutes on its own.
The Belarusian could not break the serve of Raducanu in the third set, but hit some incredibly damaging returns in the decisive tie-break.
What is next for Emma Raducanu?
Raducanu now exits the Cincinnati Open at the hands of the world number one, and will now have all eyes on the US Open.
Despite winning the US Open title four years ago, Raducanu has not won a single match at the tournament since then.
YearEmma Raducanu’s US Open performance2021Won the title2022Lost in the first round2023Missed the tournament due to injury2024Lost in the first round
She will be hoping to change that when the New York major comes around this year, but it is still unclear as to whether Raducanu will be seeded for the US Open.
Before she can focus on singles, Raducanu will play with Carlos Alcaraz in the revamped US Open mixed doubles event.
The mixed doubles tournament at the US Open will take place on August 19-20, before the singles main draw gets underway on Sunday, August 24.