Marta Kostyuk beat Emma Raducanu 6-2 6-1 in under an hour at the WTA 250 event in Cluj-Napoca, with the Brit committing 41 unforced errors.
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Emma Raducanu, the US Open champion, said she was still adjusting to the fast pace of life on tour, but she vowed to move on from her disappointing loss in the Transylvania Open on Friday and return stronger. Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine defeated the misfiring 18-year-old 6-2 6-1 in under an hour at the WTA 250 event in Cluj-Napoca, with the Brit committing 41 unforced errors. Raducanu mentioned that she was feeling tired and lethargic and that she was not 100% fit.
“I wasn’t physically feeling 100 percent. I was quite tired and lethargic today. Sometimes you just have those days where you don’t feel your best,” Raducanu told reporters.
“I knew from the morning, I knew from practice. I wanted to go out there on the court and try my best and see how it was going to go, maybe it would go better. But I just couldn’t get it going today, unfortunately. It’s just disappointing that you have these days. It’s not a nice feeling to have, but I just need to move on from it and brush it off. And then I’ll be back in another tournament soon,” the US Open champion added.
Raducanu won the Flushing Meadows title as a qualifier in September, shortly after the Grand Slam announced that she would no longer be working with former Davis Cup player Andrew Richardson. “Things are looking up, so it’s going in a good direction,” the Brit said of her search for a new coach. Raducanu won her first two WTA tour matches this week and will compete in her final tournament of the season at the Upper Austria Ladies Linz from November 6 to 12.
“I think it’s just the last six months,” she said. “It’s been a lot of learnings and I’ve experienced a lot in the last six months with not so much gaps. I think it’s just the last six months,” she said. “It’s been a lot of learnings and I’ve experienced a lot in the last six months with not so much gaps. After Linz I’ll probably have a week off just to reset and (be) mentally and physically fresh for the tough preseason. It’s going to be my first one and from what I’ve heard, it’s a very difficult four weeks physically,” Raducanu added.
Marta Kostyuk ended Emma Raducanu’s chances of facing her idol Simona Halep in the Transylvania Open quarter-finals. The 18-year-old US Open champion was soundly defeated 6-2, 6-1 by her Ukrainian opponent. Before the game, Raducanu described how Kostyuk used to “destroy” her when they were juniors.
Raducanu was drawn to the tournament in Romania because her grandmother still lives there and her father, Ian, was born there. Raducanu, ranked 23rd in the world, won her first tour-level match on Tuesday against Polona Hercog, followed by a straight-sets win over Ana Bogdan two days later. Raducanu, on the other hand, was unable to replicate the stunning form she displayed during her meteoric rise against Kostyuk.
