Emma Raducanu crashes out of Madrid Open as Brit’s injury woes flare up again in defeat to Anhelina Kalinina
EMMA RADUCANU’s Madrid Open run is over as she felt the Pain in Spain.
The world No11 was overpowered 6-2 2-6 6-4 by hard-hitting Anhelina Kalinina as she missed the chance to win three matches in a row for the first time since New York last year.
The Brit was seen clutching her lower back at times during this tiring last-16 match but she commendably played on through the pain barrier over the course of more than two hours.
The Bromley teenager will now head to Rome for her last tournament before the start of the French Open – her debut appearance in the main draw in Paris.
The US Open champion is still trying to find her feet on clay and has had mixed results in recent weeks since making her debut on the surface last month.
As her development on the red stuff continues, Raducanu joked that she has been “vibing” during her stay in the Spanish capital.
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She was clearly in a forgetful mood as she arrived on court carrying her mobile phone in her hand.
Normally players leave the devices switched off in the bottom of their tennis bags or left in a locker.
The first set was not one to capture for the phone photobook and amid cooler conditions under a closed roof, the Bromley teen was immediately broken in the opening game.
It took the clean-hitting Kalinina only 35 minutes to take control of the first set in their first meeting on the WTA Tour.
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It was then that Raducanu went off court and took a medical timeout to see the trainer.
At times during the first set, she was seen occasionally holding the bottom of her back.
And it should be noted she has had issues with this part of the body in previous months.
Yet in the second set, Raducanu raced into a 4-1 lead as Kalinina’s error count started to rise and her range was misfiring.
Suddenly the physical woes had disappeared and Raducanu turned it around by changing strategy to force the third set, which she clinched with a huge scream and clenched fist.
LTA double coach Louis Cayer applauded her efforts and gave her approval from the stands of the Manolo Santana stadium.
The governing body are supporting the youngster in the wake of her shock decision to ditch coach Torben Beltz after just five months.
The third set was a much tighter affair but the turning point came in game nine when no.9 seed Raducanu was decisively broken.
A break point chance to square up in game 10 was wasted and Kalinina served her way to victory on her second match point.
Unseeded Ukrainian Kalinina will now face Switzerland’s Jil Teichmann in the quarter-finals as the top half of the draw has opened up.
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