For the better part of two hours on court at the China Open against one of the toughest possible opponents, Emma Raducanu’s varied, steadily improving game was in full flow. She seemed to be moving confidently towards one of the most impressive wins of her career.
When it was time to close out victory against the world No 7 Jessica Pegula, however, Raducanu simply crumbled under pressure. After her positive start, Raducanu’s time in Beijing ended in a catastrophic loss as she failed to convert three match points before losing 3-6, 7-6 (9), 6-0 to Pegula in the third round.
Raducanu’s front-running abilities have been a strength so far in her career, but this defeat is a second consecutive loss after holding multiple match points. Raducanu’s loss to the two-time grand slam champion Barbora Krejcikova 11 days ago in Seoul was eerily similar – the 22-year-old held two match points before rapidly falling away and losing 4-6, 7-6 (10), 6-1.
She had burst into this match full of confidence, successfully disrupting Pegula’s clean, rhythmic shotmaking with her backhand slice, variation and defensive skills. When Pegula began to find her range and put Raducanu under significant pressure, the British No 1 showed her other improvements by serving precisely and striking her forehand brilliantly. She held off Pegula throughout an intense, high-quality second set before reaching match point at 6-5 in the tie-break.
Having put herself in a winning position, Raducanu did not do much wrong on her match points. Pegula saved the first two with two astounding backhand down-the-line winners from defensive positions before injecting pace into a forehand to force a Raducanu error on the third. After leading 5-2 in the tie-break, Raducanu’s most significant error was a double fault at 5-4. Although she immediately recovered from it, Pegula clearly gained confidence from her opponent’s nerves.
Closing out big matches is tough for all players. Everybody chokes at some point. The top players, however, are usually defined by how they react to these situations. The most concerning part of Raducanu’s performance was her lack of resilience as she fell away in the final set, her energy and intensity flatlining as Pegula eased to victory. Her response to squandering match points against Krejcikova in Seoul was identical.
For many players, the Asian swing signifies the final stretch of a long, arduous season, but this is a particularly meaningful tournament for Raducanu. This week marked Raducanu’s long-awaited tour-level debut in China, where her mother, Renee, is originally from. After nearly two months working with her new coach, Francisco Roig, Raducanu has clearly made improvements to her game but they will leave Beijing with the job of dissecting one of the toughest setbacks of her career.
While Raducanu faltered, Sonay Kartal, the British No 3, continued her excellent form in Beijing by moving into the fourth round with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Maya Joint of Australia. Things had been difficult for Kartal after her run to the fourth round at Wimbledon, losing her subsequent three matches. However, after two positive matches in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, she has found an excellent run of form in Beijing and she is yet to drop a set. She next faces the fourth seed Mirra Andreeva in the round of 16.
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Iga Swiatek, the top seed, continued her formidable form by reaching the fourth round with a retirement win over Camila Osorio after leading 6-0. In the men’s Beijing tournament, Jannik Sinner moved into the semi-final with an efficient 6-1, 7-5 win over Fabian Marozsan.
The men’s world No 1, Carlos Alcaraz, meanwhile, continued to play the best tennis of his career at the Japan Open in Tokyo as he reached his ninth consecutive final with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Casper Ruud. He will next face Taylor Fritz, the second seed, who beat Jenson Brooksby 6-4, 6-3.
