US Open: Raducanu begins tough defence of US Open title

Current US Open champion Emma Raducanu will have her work cut out as she opens her defence of her title against French veteran Alize Cornet.

Last year's champion, who stormed through the field as a qualifier to win the US Open - just the second major she’d ever played - did not drop a single set on her way to picking up the trophy.

Cornet (32) is playing a record-breaking 63rd straight major, but her best major showing was getting to the Australian Open quarter-final earlier this year.

Raducanu has played a year of inconsistent tennis since her shock victory in New York last year but has vowed afterwards to keep the same free-swinging attitude.

She now accepts that was much easier said than done with expectations sky-high and attention on her every move.

"I think looking back I can say there's been many months in the year since that I haven’t actually been swinging freely.

"It’s very easy at the time but, when you have absolutely no idea what’s about to hit you, to say something like that, I was still on that energy from those two weeks. Obviously a lot of stuff has happened since."

Since becoming the first player ever to win 10 matches at the same slam, Raducanu has failed to win more than two at any tournament, so the chances of anything approaching a repeat appear very slim.

But she at least arrived at Flushing Meadows with some positive momentum after reaching the third round in Cincinnati last week, beating Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka before losing a close contest with top-10 American Jessica Pegula.

Raducanu, who is having a trial period with Russian coach Dmitry Tursunov, was also being noticeably more aggressive again and she intends to maintain the same approach.

"There’s been tournaments for sure where I wasn’t