Emma Raducanu’s run in Cincinnati ends with defeat to Jessica Pegula

A year into her apprenticeship as a newcomer at the top of her sport, every new week of competition brings new reminders of Emma Raducanu’s precociousness. Just two weeks ago, she played her first ever professional doubles match. She had never faced a multiple grand slam champion until this week when she demolished two in a row. On Thursday evening, finally, she stepped out onto the court against a top 10 opponent for just the second time of her life.

Standing before Raducanu was Jessica Pegula, one of the most improved players in recent years, and on a cool night in Mason, Ohio the American showed what it takes to beat a top player as she ended Raducanu’s bright run at the Western and Southern Open in the third round. In an intense battle that demanded first-strike tennis, Pegula’s greater firepower and consistency won out as she defeated Raducanu 7-5, 6-4.

After inflicting a painful 6-4, 6-0 defeat on Serena Williams on Tuesday and then returning the next afternoon to snuff out Victoria Azarenka 6-0, 6-2 – two hall of fame champions dismantled in two matches – a new challenge awaited Raducanu on Thursday. While Pegula has none of the achievements nor the reputation of Raducanu’s prior opponents, what she has is form. A late bloomer who has established herself inside the top 10 at the age of 28 after spending the majority of her career outside of the top 100, she is playing the best tennis of her life.

Pegula is a clean, flat ball striker with a particularly searing forehand and those strengths have propelled her to seventh in the rankings and No 3 in the yearly WTA race. Her rise has been underscored by excellent consistency and she arrived in Cincinnati having reached the semi-final in Montreal last week. She always