- British No 1 Emma Raducanu has been knocked out of the French Open after losing 3-6 6-1 6-1 to Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich
- The 19-year old has only won two Grand Slam matches this year in two tournaments, and she had a tense off-court period
- She parted ways with coach Torben Beltz and entered the French Open without a full-time coach
Emma Raducanu’s French Open run ended in the second round when she was defeated in three sets by Aliaksandra Sasnovich, who got away with the match after losing 6-3 in the first set.
The US Open champion initially appeared to be in great shape, but the Sasnovich recovered admirably to progress, beating Raducanu in the second and third sets 6-1.
Emma Raducanu knocked out of Roland Garros. Photo: Skysports
It was a disappointing loss for the British No. 1, who has only won two Grand Slam matches this year in two tournaments.
She has also had a tense off-court period, having parted ways with coach Torben Beltz and entering the French Open without a full-time coach.
There aren’t many players on tour who Raducanu has faced twice, but Sasnovich was one of them, as the first player she faced and lost to after winning the US Open last summer.
Sasnovich began with great intent, and Raducanu worked hard to match the Belarusian’s strength.
Following early serve holds, Raducanu provided two break point chances on her serve in the fourth game. However, solid serving eased the strain, and she held serve in a game that lasted just under 11 minutes.
That swung pace in her favor, and a fantastic backhand crosscourt winner on the run set up a first breakpoint opportunity, which she took with a forehand winner.
Raducanu saved a breakpoint in the next game to win 4-2 and was beginning to assert her dominance over the match.
She earned a second breakpoint at 5-3 and made the best with a backhand winner near the net to win the first set 6-3.
Raducanu appeared to be an incomplete command, but Sasnovich had other plans.
A dual fault in the first game of the second set appeared to change the atmosphere completely, and one breakpoint chance was used to launch a comeback.
In the third game, the British No 1’s serve continued to falter while her opponent unleashed some fearsome winners.
Following three more breakpoints, a nice backhand drop shot beat the 19-year-old, and the Belarusian was now up 3-0 as the match progressed to a decider.
World No 47 Aliaksandra Sasnovich defeated Emma Raducanu in the second round of the French Open. Photo: Eurosport
The momentum shift had been incredible, and Raducanu took a comfy break before settling in for the decider.
Sasnovich benefited from serving first, and she kept a 1-0 lead, putting Raducanu to the assessment after she had slipped three of her previous four service games.
The Belarussian offered a chance to break at 30-40, but the Brit recovered admirably to win the game.
Racudanu was notably more active in the third game, putting heavy pressure on the Sasnovich serve.
Still, an ample opportunity to ensure an early break was squandered by having wasted five breakpoints, with the Belarusian holding in a game that lasted roughly 13minutes.
It appeared to take its toll on Raducanu, and the missed opportunity proved to be a significant turning point.
It gave Sasnovich a significant boost. She brought up a breakpoint advantage with one of the match shots before Raducanu shanked a forehand long, giving the Belarusian the benefit.
Sasnovich held, then broke again to set up a match-winning serve, which she executed
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