Emma Raducanu calls shock Singapore Tennis Open exit 'ironic' as British No 2 reveals next step

Emma Raducanu calls shock Singapore Tennis Open exit ‘ironic’ as British No 2 reveals next step

Posted by author January 27, 2025 Tennis

Emma Raducanu remained upbeat despite a surprise early exit at the Singapore Tennis Open, claiming her performance surpassed her recent Australian Open showing.

“I think I’m in a pretty good place with everything and I think I actually played better than I did in Melbourne, so that is ironic,” the British star said after her first-round defeat.

The 22-year-old focused on the positives from the gruelling encounter, particularly the valuable match experience gained.

“For me to be playing this kind of match, all I need is time on court and a match-competitive situation, which I got today. I got it in abundance — over three hours of it,” Raducanu explained.

Emma Raducanu suffered a surprise defeat

REUTERS

“I fought really hard. I gave everything. So I just got to keep building and moving on.”

The 2021 US Open champion suffered a shock defeat at the hands of world number 101 Cristina Bucsa at the Kallang Tennis Hub.

Raducanu, one of the tournament’s headline acts at the inaugural WTA 250 event, fell 7-5, 5-7, 5-7 in a marathon contest lasting just over three hours.

The disappointment was evident as she made a swift exit to the changing rooms following the match.

It marked an unexpected early departure from Singapore, where top-level women’s tennis has returned for the first time since the WTA Finals were held there from 2014 to 2018.

The British No 2 had previously expressed excitement about competing in Singapore, a country where she says she feels “at home”.

Raducanu started the match aggressively, with her powerful play proving effective in the early stages.

Emma Raducanu has split from coach Nick CavadayPA

After going down a break at 4-5, she rallied back to win three consecutive games and claim the first set 7-5.

However, as the match progressed, the fine margins began to tell against her, with powerful winners increasingly becoming unforced errors.

A crucial turning point came at 5-5 in the second set, when a groundstroke into the net handed Bucsa the vital break.

The deciding set saw both players struggle with their service games, featuring seven breaks of serve in twelve games.

Bucsa ultimately held her nerve to secure the victory, with Raducanu later praising her opponent’s performance: “She just played unbelievable and, credit to her, she kept it up the whole match.”

Raducanu’s early exit comes amid a period of transition, following her recent split from coach Nick Cavaday due to health issues.

The coaching change was only announced last week, leaving Raducanu to prepare for Singapore independently with her fitness coach Yutaka Nakamura and her mother.

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Emma Raducanu is looking to build up some match fitness

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Her immediate future remains uncertain, with the British player admitting: “To be honest, I don’t know what’s next for me. I feel like a lot of things kind of changed in the last week.”

Despite the setback, she expressed readiness to continue competing: “I’m ready to go pretty much straight away. I’m ready to keep building.”

Raducanu also shared her disappointment at not being able to spend more time in Singapore, stating: “I felt so much support, I felt so much love. I just feel bad I couldn’t pull through for them.”