Emma Raducanu was emotional after her second-round defeat to Karolina Muchova at the Dubai Championships.
The British world No 61 lost 7-6(6), 6-4 to the 14th seed, Muchova, in a match that lasted two hours and seven minutes.
Raducanu lost despite fighting back gamely towards the end of the first set.
The 2021 US Open champion was seen wiping away tears with her towel when she was 3-0 down in the first set. Muchova then checked on her opponent during the changeover to make sure she was okay and could keep playing.
A hard-fought match
Raducanu regained her composure and fought back from 4-0 and a double break down to make it 5-5, forcing a tiebreak. Both players traded mini-breaks early in the tiebreak, but Raducanu lost her set point, and Muchova took advantage to win the set.
The former French Open finalist kept up her strong play in the second set, breaking Raducanu in the opening game. She also saved three break points in the sixth game as Raducanu fought to stay competitive.
Raducanu was upset by her loss but can take confidence from ending a four-match losing streak with her first-round win over Maria Sakkari.
On the same day she lost in Dubai, her place was confirmed in another big event.
Raducanu will play in the first-ever women’s tournament at Queen’s Club, along with British No. 1 Katie Boulter.