Emma Raducanu’s struggles continue with loss to Katerina Siniakova in Miami

Emma Raducanu’s tough education in her maiden WTA Tour season continued on Thursday as she served for the match in her Miami Open debut and stood within two points of victory against Katerina Siniakova but failed to take any of her ample opportunities, eventually suffering a bitter 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 loss in the second round.

As Raducanu stumbled, Heather Watson pieced together one of her biggest wins in many years, grinding through a gruelling third set and demonstrating ample resilience by defeating Elina Svitolina, the 15th seed, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4) to reach the third round.

For Raducanu, the 11th seed, her defeat played out in remarkably similar fashion to her loss in the Indian Wells third round two weeks ago. Raducanu was dominant throughout the first half of the match, controlling the majority of exchanges from inside the baseline, taking the ball early off both wings and attacking freely as she established a 6-3, 3-1 lead.

But Raducanu has struggled to play at a consistent, high intensity throughout an entire match this year. In most of her matches so far, including on Thursday, she has started extremely well, only for her intensity, serve and ball speeds to slow down. At the top level of professional tennis, opponents will always be ready to pounce.

From a set and a break down, Siniakova, ranked 53rd in singles and the doubles world No 1, quickly worked herself into the match. After recovering the break, she ended the set close to the baseline and cranking up the pace of her forehand.

Raducanu did not relinquish the match without some admirable fight, however, and she reeled off three games in a row just as the match seemed to be slipping away at 2-3, 15-30 in the third set. As in her Indian Wells loss to Petra Martic,