Emma Raducanu: Defending US Open champion is knocked out in first round by unseeded Alize Cornet

Defending US Open champion Emma Raducanu has been knocked out in the first round after falling to a 6-3 6-3 defeat to Alize Cornet.

Raducanu stunned the tennis world in 2021 when she won the Grand Slam as an unseeded qualifier, but there would be no dream run in 2022 as she was comprehensively beaten by her French opponent.

The 2022 Australian Open quarter-finalist will play Katerina Siniakova in the second round after producing a classy all-round display on Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Cornet said on-court afterwards: “I’m sorry guys. I know you like Emma. She’s a great player and a great person so I’m sorry I beat her tonight.

“I’m really happy about my performance. I thought I played a really solid match overall.

“I was getting tired from the middle of the second set because it was very long rallies all the time. But I just hung in there and I was fighting my heart out so super happy.

“I like the drop shot, it’s one of my favourite shots. I don’t do it as well as Ons Jabeur but I try to do the same. I think my game at the net was pretty good too. But hey 14 points of 15 won at the net was pretty good.

“I did a lot of variation and I think that’s what worked tonight. I should definitely keep the drop shot in my game.”

It was a highly competitive opening to the match with both players more than willing to engage in a tight baseline battle, but it was Cornet who decided to being playing with more variety which ultimately helped her make the opening break to take a 4-2 lead. However, a double fault followed by lax forehand in the following game saw Raducanu get back on serve.

Raducanu gift-wrapped her opponent the break advantage to move into a 5-3 lead with an ill-timed double fault. Serving for the set was not easy for Cornet, though, as she flung her racquet to the ground in frustration at 0-30 down, but she fought back. On set point, the No. 11 seed Raducanu hooked a forehand into the net to allow Cornet over the line and took the 51-minute opener.

There was a medical timeout before the start of the second set so that Raducanu could receive treatment for blisters.

Both players broke each other in the opening two games of the second set, but Raducanu went a break up to move into a 3-1 lead after producing a wrong-footing backhand up the line.

Clearly irritated by her own error-strewn game, Cornet broke back immediately, finishing off with a delightful drop shot.

Momentum was clearly with the Frenchwoman at this point as she reeled off the next four games, executing a handful of drop shots to perfection, to take a commanding 5-3 lead.

And the 32-year-old made sure she would progress out of the first round of all four majors this season by sealing her first match point on the Raducanu serve when the Brit volleyed a backhand wide.

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