'Back to reality' - Mats Wilander not surprised by Emma Raducanu first-round exit at US Open

Eurosport expert Mats Wilander has given his reaction to defending champion Emma Raducanu suffering a first-round defeat to Alize Cornet at the US Open. Raducanu, on her first match back in New York since her memorable win 12 months ago, battled hard against her unseeded French opponent but was ultimately unable to find the answers to get anywhere close to making the second round, succumbing 3-6 3-6. Ad In truth, Cornet — who beat world No.

1 Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon earlier this summer — was arguably the toughest first-round draw Raducanu could have got, but there is a silver lining in that Raducanu now «has the target off her back» — as she put it afterwards — and can focus on climbing back up the WTA rankings. US Open'Really disappointing, really sad' — Raducanu reacts to first-round defeat3 HOURS AGO For Wilander, Raducanu's loss was no real surprise given the two players' respective form in 2022, and highlighted it as an «important step» on the Brit's career journey. «It looked to me like she was playing OK,» Wilander said on Eurosport.

«She started off well in the second set, that is when I thought she was going to turn it around. But there are opponents and match-ups at different parts of your career that are a good draw and not a good draw. »I would say that for Raducanu right now, playing someone like Cornet who is smart and experienced, is not a good draw.

She [Cornet] doesn't make mistakes and also is a giant killer, she's not afraid of the bigger players. It's just not a good draw. So is that [Raducanu's loss] a surprise? Not really to be honest.