Emma Raducanu’s Clay-Court Struggles Continue at Madrid Open

Emma Raducanu’s clay-court form took a dive at the Madrid Open on Wednesday as the Brit exited the tournament after a first-round straight-sets defeat by world No 82 Maria Lourdes Carle. Raducanu came into the contest on a high after winning four of her last five matches following excellent performances in the Billie Jean King Cup for Great Britain and the Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart.

But the Briton complained of “feeling tired” in the build-up to Madrid and she went out at the first hurdle to Carle 6-2 6-2 on Pista Arantxa Sanchez. Raducanu won very few points throughout the contest, but this winner was arguably her best from an overall disappointing display.

“I’m going to recharge a bit,” Raducanu said after her defeat. “From the performance today it was very clear that mentally and emotionally, I was exhausted. It’s a shame, but I guess the sport is just pretty brutal.”

Playing with strapping around the front of her left knee, the 2021 US Open champion was viewed as a strong favourite against qualifier Carle. But the 21-year-old, who endured an injury-hit 2023, produced an error-strewn display on the clay, winning just 13/26 first serve points and 2/14 on her second serve.

Carle, who beat a pair of Aussies – Taylah Preston and Astra Sharma – to reach her second-ever WTA 1000 main draw, broke Raducanu’s serve six times to land her first WTA main-draw match win since 2022, and second-ever at a clay-court WTA event.

Former world No 1 Naomi Osaka posted her first clay-court win in two years after defeating lucky loser Greet Minnen 6-4 6-1. The four-time Grand Slam champion will face Liudmila Samsonova in the second round for the second time this year.

In the men’s draw, British No 2 Jack Draper impressed with a victory over Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis. Draper triumphed 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 and will now play Hubert Hurkacz in the second round. Draper’s win was a ‘real confidence booster’ and he showed great sportsmanship during the match.

Overall, it was a mixed day for British players at the Madrid Open, with Raducanu’s disappointing exit balanced by Osaka’s return to form and Draper’s impressive victory. Fans can catch all the action on Sky Sports Tennis, the new home for tennis in the UK and Ireland.