Emma Raducanu has lost in straight sets to Iga Swiatek in the quarter-finals of the Stuttgart Open.
Raducanu lost 7-6 (7-2), 6-3 in a battling performance but was unable to break her duck against top-10 players.
She has gone seven matches against top-10 stars without a win and hasn’t even managed a set in that time, but she was competitive against Swiatek.
The 21-year-old had beaten Angelique Kerber and Linda Noskova in straight sets in the first two rounds.
Things were going well against Swiatek but losing the first-set tie-break was a pivotal moment and the Pole broke her in the first game of the second set before surging to victory.
Emma Raducanu lost in the quarter-finals of the Stuttgart Open against Iga Swiatek
Considering that she is still finding her feet after an injury-plagued 2023, reaching the quarter-finals here represents good progress from Raducanu.
She dropped as low as 303rd in the world rankings on the back of wrist and ankle operations and has often struggled to string more than a couple of wins together.
However, she has been in strong form recently, helping Britain beat France in the Billie Jean King Cup last week.
Swiatek will meet fourth seed Elena Rybakina in the semi-finals in Stuttgart.
The world No 1 is on a 10-match winning streak at this tournament, having won the last two editions, and expressed hope that Raducanu can get back to her best.
‘I hope she will be able to do it because for sure she has the game for it,’ she said.
More to follow.