Eastbourne International: Emma Raducanu misses out on semi-finals after defeat to Daria Kasatkina
Emma Raducanu says she is prepared for Wimbledon, even though she lost to Daria Kasatkina in the Eastbourne International by scores of 6-2 and 6-2.
Russian player Kasatkina quickly won the first set with ease. Although Raducanu managed to recover from being broken early in the second set, she couldn't keep up with Kasatkina for the rest of the match.
After tying at 1-1, Kasatkina took the lead and reached 4-1 in the second set by breaking Raducanu two more times. She then held her serve to win the match 6-2, despite both players exchanging breaks towards the end.
Raducanu had a tough time getting used to the windy weather during her big loss, but the 2021 US Open winner isn't worried about her health for Wimbledon. Despite missing all of the grass-court season in 2023 due to wrist and ankle surgeries, she says she's ready to compete after being given a wildcard entry.
"I didn't feel sleepy at all. I was feeling fantastic," she stated.
I believe I handled the situation poorly. I was not adaptable in my approach. That's my honest evaluation of the game.
"But my body is doing well. I'm okay. I just need to be more open to adjusting. I haven't had much experience playing in such windy conditions."
"Daria performs excellently in such circumstances, as she creates a challenging situation for her opponent. I believe she dealt with it much more effectively."
Raducanu is waiting for the Wimbledon announcement, while Kasatkina will be playing against Italy's Jasmine Paolini in the semi-finals at Eastbourne. Paolini defeated Katie Boulter, a British player, earlier on Thursday.
Raducanu struggled to keep up with Kasatkina in the one-sided match on Centre Court.
But the 21-year-old missed all the grass-court matches last year because of surgery on their wrist and ankle. Now they are feeling confident and strong after beating Sloane Stephens and the number 5 player in the world, Jessica Pegula.
Raducanu demonstrated flashes of her talent, impressing with a fantastic backhand slice winner as she prevented her opponent from winning four set points in the first set.
However, she lost her advantage on serve when she was ahead by 40-0 in the early stages of the second set. In total, she was broken six times by the strong opponent Kasatkina, who controlled most of the rallies and ultimately secured her advancement.
Boulter And Dart Ousted In Eastbourne | Klugman Falls In Wimbledon Qualifier
Boulter's goal to win another grass-court title before Wimbledon was effectively brought to an end with a convincing loss in the Eastbourne quarter-finals to Paolini, who had recently been a finalist in the French Open.
Boulter, who has won the Nottingham Open two times in the past, had a tough time finding her groove and struggled with her serve as she suffered a convincing 6-1 7-6 loss.
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Paolini, ranked 7th in the world, completely controlled the tactical fight against the top British player and adjusted much better to the windy weather at Devonshire Park.
The possibility of three British female players making it to the semi-finals of the Eastbourne International was dashed when Harriet Dart lost 6-2 6-1 to Leylah Fernandez in the first match on Thursday.
In another location, 15-year-old student Hannah Klugman from the UK did not make it to the main competition at Wimbledon. She was defeated in her last qualifying match by Alycia Parks from the United States with a score of 6-3 6-3.
In the meantime, underdog Billy Harris is close to being the first British player to reach the men's singles final at Eastbourne. He fought hard after losing the first set to surprise Italian player Flavio Cobolli, who is ranked 49th in the world.
The 29-year-old, who reached the final eight at Queen's recently, secured a victory of 6-7 7-6 6-2 after defeating fellow countrymen Jacob Fearnley and Charles Broom in the earlier matches.
Harris, who was born in Nottingham and is currently ranked 139th in the world, will be facing Australian qualifier Max Purcell in the semi-finals. Purcell secured his spot in the semi-finals with a 6-3 7-6 victory against Serbian player Miomir Kecmanovic.
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