Emma Raducanu suffered a disappointing early exit at the Singapore Open, losing to world No. 101 Cristina Busca in an intense three-hour match.
Cristina Busca won 5-7 7-5 7-5 as Raducanu struggled with errors throughout the match. Fighting gamely, she played a hard-fought match in which there were 17 breaks of serve.
Busca admitted: “I don’t play (three-hour matches) enough but it was really good… Emma played so well from the first ball until the end. I’m so glad I kept going and kept believing in myself.”
She added: “It doesn’t matter if I have a day off, I have good endurance and I’m really happy to have my dad (who did a triathlon) with me. Thank you for the support.”
Highlights of the match
Raducanu was off to a great start by holding serve with an ace. She then wrapped up the first set, gaining a set point with a crushing forehand.
Having won the first set and gained a 5-4 lead in both the second and third sets, Raducanu seemed to be in control. However, Busca showed her sharp playing skills to step up and level the match once again.
The deciding set was full of tension, with seven breaks of serve as Raducanu’s double faults started to take their toll.
Busca then served for the match at 6-5. Raducanu was able to save two match points, but her opponent prevailed in the end.
Raducanu, a former US Open champion, recently made it to the third round of the Australian Open. She arrived in Singapore following her split with childhood coach Nick Cavaday, who stepped down due to health concerns. She was joined by her mother and her new fitness trainer, Yutaka Nakamura.