Emma Raducanu’s build-up for the Australian Open took a hit when she unexpectedly lost to Taylah Preston, ranked 204th globally, at the Hobart International event.
As Britain’s top-ranked player, Raducanu entered the tournament as the highest-seeded participant; this was her last competitive outing before the year’s initial Grand Slam kicks off this coming Sunday.
Nevertheless, she will proceed to Melbourne having secured only a single victory, following her 6-2, 6-4 loss in the quarter-finals against Australian competitor Preston.
Raducanu demonstrated significant variability in her serving performance, recording four double faults and successfully holding serve in merely three out of her nine service turns.
Despite achieving a break advantage on two occasions in each set, she failed to capitalize on her lead during what became another contest impacted by inclement weather.
Trailing 4-2 in the initial set, her coach Francisco Roig was audible, encouraging her to “go for it” and “stay dynamic.”
Nevertheless, she was unable to hold serve to remain in the set, hitting a backhand shot into the net, which resulted in her adversary gaining the set lead.
Raducanu encountered difficulties once more early in the second set, commenting to Roig that Preston’s returns were arriving “with great pace,” yet she still managed to build a 3-1 advantage.
Despite this, she subsequently dropped her next three consecutive service games, allowing Preston to progress into the semi-final stage.
