Emma Raducanu’s bid for a second US Open title came to an abrupt end on Louis Armstrong Stadium.
The British number one made a fast start in New York, as Raducanu dominated Ena Shibahara and Janice Tjen en route to round three.
Unfortunately for Raducanu, it was the in-form Elena Rybakina who stood between her and a place in the last 16.
Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images
In straight sets, Rybakina crushed Raducanu, 6-1, 6-2, knocking the 2021 champion out of the tournament.
Reacting to the 22-year-old’s US Open exit, Tim Henman predicted her next steps.
Tim Henman thinks Emma Raducanu will analyse defeat with her team after ‘reality check’ at US Open
Speaking to Sky Sports in the aftermath of Raducanu’s defeat, Henman weighed in with his thoughts.
“Tough day at the office. I think [Emma] Raducanu will go away with her whole team and analyse this,” he said.
“We talk about her up against a top ten player, one of the best players out there.
“There have been a lot of positives about this hard-court season, but this was a bit of a reality check.
“It’s a difficult day, but she will learn a lot from it, Raducanu.”
As Henman rightly pointed out, there were positives to take from Raducanu’s US Open swing, as the Brit won eight matches in total.
MatchOpponentResultScore2025 Washington Open – 1RMarta KostyukWin7-6, 6-42025 Washington Open – 2RNaomi OsakaWin6-4, 6-22025 Washington Open – QFMaria SakkariWin6-4, 7-52025 Washington Open – SFAnna KalinskayaLoss4-6, 3-62025 Canadian Open – 1RElena-Gabriela RuyseWin6-2, 6-42025 Canadian Open – 2RPeyton StearnsWin6-2, 6-42025 Canadian Open – 3RAmanda AnisimovaLoss6-2, 6-12025 Cincinnati Open – 2ROlga DanilovicWin6-3, 6-22025 Cincinnati Open – 3RAryna SabalenkaLoss6-7, 6-4, 6-72025 US Open – 1REna ShibaharaWin6-1, 6-22025 US Open – 2RJanice TjenWin6-2, 6-12025 US Open – 3RElena RybakinaLoss1-6, 2-6Emma Raducanu’s record during the US Open swing
Performing as well as she did, Raducanu convinced many that she could provide a challenge to Rybakina at the US Open.
“I think it’s a positive in a way that we both felt she could do it,” said Laura Robson to Henman.
Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images
“If a few things had changed throughout that match, maybe a bit earlier with the weight of shot…
“I would have liked to have seen her start the point a bit further back at times with the return, but she can do it.”
Raducanu has plenty of work to do as she finishes her 2025 Grand Slam campaign with a 7-4 record.
Emma Raducanu’s Grand Slam defeats in 2025
The British star failed to make it out of the third round at any of the four major tournaments she played in 2025, a disappointing effort for a player making such noticeable improvements to her game.
However, when you look closer at those defeats, Raducanu’s efforts don’t look quite so bad after all.
2025 Australian Open 3R – Emma Raducanu lost to Iga Swiatek2025 French Open 2R – Emma Raducanu lost to Iga Swiatek2025 Wimbledon 3R – Emma Raducanu lost to Aryna Sabalenka2025 US Open 3R – Emma Raducanu lost to Elena Rybakina
All four of Raducanu’s Grand Slam losses in 2025 came against former major champions.
Iga Swiatek took her out of the Australian Open in January and the French Open in June, before Aryna Sabalenka got the better of Raducanu at Wimbledon in July.
Raducanu was given plenty of credit for her battling performance against Sabalenka on Centre Court earlier in the summer.
She may not have picked up the win, but she certainly proved to her doubters that she had taken a significant step forward.
The question for Raducanu now is whether she can start beating the very best players in the women’s game.
Photo by Robert Prange/Getty Images
If she’s content with being a top-30 or top-40 player, then valiantly losing in straight sets is fine, but nothing about Raducanu suggests that’s what she’s looking to achieve in the sport.
Just four years ago, Raducanu picked up her first major title, and she’s been working hard to make sure that it wasn’t her last.
Raducanu will have her next shot at Grand Slam glory in Melbourne when the 2026 Australian Open begins on Monday, January 12.