1 month ago
British brace Emma Raducanu and Harriet Dart mislaid successful consecutive sets successful nan first information of nan Madrid Open.
Raducanu, 21, was beaten 6-2 6-2 by Argentine qualifier Maria Lourdes Carle.
Dart, who won 2 qualifying matches to scope nan main draw, held a 4-0 lead successful her 2nd group against Spain's Cristina Bucsa but mislaid 6-4 6-4.
In nan men's draw, Britain's Jack Draper will statesman his tourney against Australian qualifier Thanasi Kokkinakis later connected Wednesday.
Raducanu was group to play Karolina Pliskova successful her opening lucifer but nan erstwhile world number 1 pulled retired of nan tourney because of a wrist injury.
The Briton, classed number 221 successful nan world, reached her first WTA quarter-final successful 19 months astatine nan Stuttgart Open past week arsenic she continues her comeback from an injury-hit 2023 season.
But Raducanu, who dropped to 303rd successful nan world pursuing wrist and ankle operations past year, was incapable to retrieve aft falling a double break of service down successful some sets against her 82nd-ranked opponent.
The 2021 US Open champion has returned to amended shape successful caller weeks, helping Britain hit France successful nan Billie Jean King Cup earlier defeating Angelique Kerber and Linda Noskova successful Stuttgart.
Elsewhere astatine nan Madrid Open, four-time awesome champion Naomi Osaka progressed pinch a comfortable 6-4 6-1 triumph against Belgium's Greet Minnen.
