By CNN
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Emma Raducanu’s Australian Open campaign came to a valiant end on Thursday as she fell to a three set – 4-6 6-4 4-6 – defeat to Wang Yafan.
The 21-year-old was making her comeback to grand slam tennis at Melbourne Park after injuries ravaged her 2023 season, and the Brit looked short of fitness against China’s Wang.
Raducanu had called for a medical assessment after going 2-0 down in the deciding set and had her blood pressure checked. While waiting for trainers to make their way onto the court, the tennis star sat slumped in her chair with a towel over her head.
Play resumed after a short treatment break, but the youngster was in quite some discomfort between points, looking as though she might be sick.
The apparent illness pushed Raducanu to finish rallies earlier and the 2021 US Open champion started digging deep to test her opponent with booming groundstrokes.
Despite keeping the games competitive, Raducanu was unable to recover from a difficult start to the deciding set and Wang held on for an impressive second-round win.
The Chinese star, who also dealt with the windy conditions better than Raducanu at the start of the match, will face compatriot Zheng Qinwen in the third round.
For Raducanu, who has struggled physically since bursting onto the women’s tour, it’s yet another lesson to learn.
The Brit has bounced between coaches for a number of years but had reconnected with her childhood coach Nick Cavaday before the tournament as she bids to rekindle her grand slam winning form.
She showed glimpses of her undoubted talent again against Wang, but has yet to find a formula which allows her to sustain it.
