Emma Raducanu exited the Australian Open in the second round on Thursday.
Wang Yafan beat Raducanu 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, in a tight, rollercoaster of a match in which Raducanu surged from a break down in the second set to draw even but let Wang move ahead early in the third set and never caught up.
Starting a season in which her main goal is to remain healthy after an injury plagued two years, Raducanu, the 2021 U.S. Open champion, won two matches and lost two matches in her first tournaments back.
She endured three surgeries in May, as doctors repaired damage in both wrists and her ankle, which had forced her to play with pain for months.
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Raducanu has a ways to go to reclaim the sublime form that allowed her to win the U.S. Open as a virtually unknown qualifier. Her win in the first round came against Shelby Rogers, another player coming back from a long injury layoff. Wang, a 29-year-old veteran, is currently ranked 94th in the world.
But Raducanu said earlier this week she was setting expectations low for now, that her form and consistency will come with more practice and matches.
She showed plenty of her fluidity and the smooth strokes that made her game so intoxicating when she burst on the season a little more than two years ago.
If she can stay healthy, there may be more of that Raducanu before too long.
GO DEEPER
Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez, the teen stars of 2021 who are starting all over again
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Christine Lake is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. With an extensive background in sports journalism, he covers everything from major league championships to grassroots sports events. When she’s not on the field or at the stadium, you’ll find Christine coaching youth sports teams.
