Emma Raducanu’s comeback after a two-month absence due to illness ended in a tough first-round defeat at the Strasbourg tournament.
The British number one, playing her first match since March, went down 6-4 7-6 (7-4) to French home favourite Diane Parry. It was a competitive battle on clay, but the rust showed as Raducanu slipped from world number 23 to 37 and will head to the French Open unseeded.
She started brightly, breaking early and hitting clean winners, but double faults crept in. Parry fought back strongly. Raducanu showed fight, saving multiple break points and pushing to a tie-break, but Parry held her nerve to close it out after over two hours.
There were encouraging signs though. Reunited with coach Andrew Richardson – who guided her to that magical US Open win – she looked relaxed and mobile, fending off 16 break points. It’s a short turnaround before Roland Garros, with just one clay match under her belt, but the resilience was clear.
Raducanu will be hoping to build on the positives in Paris as she continues her recovery and fine-tuning.
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