April 18, (THEWILL) – In a disappointing start to her Stuttgart Open campaign, Emma Raducanu was roundly defeated by Jelena Ostapenko, picking up just three games during the match that ended 6-2 6-1.
Raducanu, who has been struggling with a wrist problem lately, was up against a tough opponent in the form of the powerful Ostapenko, who won the French Open in 2017 and is currently ranked No. 21 in the world.
Despite winning the first game of the match, Raducanu was unable to keep up with Ostapenko’s momentum as the Latvian won 16 points unanswered to take the lead. Ostapenko went on to win five break points and six consecutive games in the second set, securing an easy victory in under an hour.
While Ostapenko was decidedly pleased with her performance, Raducanu will have to go back to the drawing board to prepare for the upcoming clay-court season. Her recent wrist problem and a tough draw against a formidable opponent proved to be too much to handle for the young tennis player.
However, Ostapenko’s impressive performance proves that she continues to be a force to be reckoned with in the WTA. Raducanu can still prepare ahead of the clay-court season but she will need to regroup and come back stronger if she hopes to make a bigger impact in future tournaments.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
