British Stars Suffer Early Exits at Madrid Open
In a disappointing turn of events, British tennis stars Emma Raducanu and Harriet Dart faced early exits at the Madrid Open.
Raducanu, the former US Open champion, was outclassed by Argentine qualifier Maria Lourdes Carle, falling in straight sets 6-2, 6-2. Meanwhile, Dart, who had battled through qualifying to reach the main draw, held a 4-0 lead in the second set against Spain’s Cristina Bucsa but ultimately succumbed 6-4, 6-4.
On the men’s side, Britain’s Jack Draper is set to take on Australian qualifier Thanasi Kokkinakis later on Wednesday. Raducanu was originally scheduled to face the former world number one Karolina Pliskova, but the Czech player withdrew due to a wrist injury.
“Despite her recent positive performances, including reaching her first WTA quarter-final in 19 months at the Stuttgart Open last week, Raducanu struggled to find her rhythm against the 82nd-ranked Carle. The Briton, currently ranked 221st in the world, is still working to regain her form after a challenging 2023 season marked by various injuries.”
In other Madrid Open action, four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka had a more successful outing, comfortably defeating Belgium’s Greet Minnen 6-4, 6-1.
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