Raducanu Outclassed by Rybakina in US Open Third Round

Emma Raducanu’s US Open campaign came to an abrupt end after a commanding display from Elena Rybakina swept her aside in the third round, Sport360NG reports.

The 22-year-old Briton, hoping to make a statement against one of the tour’s elite, was outpowered in a one-sided 6-1 6-2 defeat that lasted just over an hour.

Ninth seed Rybakina immediately took charge, dismantling Raducanu’s serve with relentless returns and breaking four times across the match.

“It was tough playing her when she’s striking the ball that well. Honestly, I felt she had the upper hand in every area,” Raducanu told BBC Sport afterwards.

A shaky opening service game from Raducanu, in which she was broken after slipping 0-40 behind, set the tone. From there the world number 36 struggled to build any rhythm, often appearing short of confidence and unable to cope with her opponent’s clean ball-striking.

The loss means Raducanu has now beaten only three top-10 opponents in her career. The 2021 US Open champion was also the last British woman left in the singles draw, leaving Cameron Norrie as the sole remaining Brit in New York ahead of his third-round meeting with Novak Djokovic later on Friday.

Raducanu had returned to Flushing Meadows with optimism after a run of encouraging performances this summer that put her on the verge of re-entering the top 30. She had also cruised through her first two rounds against qualifiers Ena Shibahara and Janice Tjen behind a strong serving performance.

But against 2022 Wimbledon winner Rybakina, her delivery faltered. Broken from 40-0 in the opening game of the second set, she was left with no way back as her Kazakh opponent dictated rallies from the baseline and racked up 23 winners.

“I knew before the match what her strengths were, and today I really felt the full weight of them,” said Raducanu, who dropped the first set in just 27 minutes. “Of course it’s disappointing, but I need to make sure this doesn’t overshadow the progress I’ve been making.”

The result was another reminder of the gulf Raducanu must bridge to consistently challenge the world’s best. For Rybakina, it marked her best run yet at the US Open, and she will next meet either Italian seventh seed Jasmine Paolini or 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova for a spot in the quarter-finals.