Emma Raducanu crashes out of Madrid Open in first round

Emma Raducanu saw the progress made at the recent Stuttgart Open stall after she collapsed to a straight-sets defeat by Maria Lourdes Carle at the Madrid Open.

Raducanu exited last week’s tournament in Germany in the quarter-finals but that encouraging form deserted her on Wednesday as she was crushed 6-2 6-2 by her Argentinian opponent, who is ranked 83 in the world.

Playing with strapping around the front of her left knee, the 2021 US Open champion produced an error-strewn display on the clay at Manzanares Park.

Opportunity KNOCKS