Emma Raducanu loses Eastbourne International quarter-final to Daria Kasatkina 6-2 6-2 on Thursday; fellow Britons Katie Boulter and Harriet Dart also lose quarters to Jasmine Paolini and Leylah Fernandez respectively; 15-year-old British schoolgirl Hannah Klugman misses out on Wimbledon
Friday 28 June 2024 07:46, UK
Emma Raducanu insists she feels ready for Wimbledon, despite going down 6-2 6-2 to Daria Kasatkina in the Eastbourne International.
Russian Kasatkina stormed ahead to claim a dominant first set, and though Raducanu recovered from an early break in the second to break straight back, she was no match for the rest of the encounter.
From 1-1 back on serve, Kasatkina proceeded to rattle to 4-1 ahead in the second set - breaking Raducanu twice more - before serving the match out for 6-2 after the pair traded breaks again before the end.
Raducanu struggled to adapt to blustery conditions during her comprehensive defeat, but the 2021 US Open champion, who missed the entire 2023 grass-court season following wrist and ankle surgery, dismissed any concerns about her fitness ahead of Wimbledon, for which she has received a wildcard.
"I wasn't tired at all. I was feeling really good," she said.
"I think I just dealt with the circumstances badly. Yeah, I was very inflexible in my approach. That's my honest reflection of the match.
"But physically I'm in a really good spot. I'm fine. I just need to learn to be more willing to adapt. I hadn't really played many matches in that level of wind.
"Daria actually plays really good in those conditions, because she makes it very awkward for the opponent. I just think she handled it a lot better."
While Raducanu awaits the Wimbledon draw, Kasatkina will now face Italy's Jasmine Paolini in the last four at Eastbourne, the latter having knocked out another Brit earlier on Thursday in Katie Boulter.
Raducanu failed to get to grips with Kasatkina in the relatively one-sided Centre Court contest.
However, the 21-year-old, who missed the entire grass-court season last year following wrist and ankle surgery, heads to the Wimbledon buoyed by impressive wins over Sloane Stephens and world No 5 Jessica Pegula.
Raducanu showed occasional glimpses of her class, catching the eye with a superb backhand sliced winner as she saved four set points in the opener.
Yet she blew a 40-0 lead on serve early in the second set and was broken six times overall as powerful Kasatkina dominated the majority of the rallies to secure progression.
Boulter's quest to clinch another grass-court title ahead of Wimbledon was emphatically ended by a comprehensive Eastbourne quarter-final loss to French Open finalist Paolini.
Two-time Nottingham Open champion Boulter struggled for rhythm and with her serve en route to a resounding 6-1 7-6 defeat.
World No 7 Paolini dominated the tactical battle against the British No 1 and adapted far better to blustery conditions at Devonshire Park.
The prospect of three British women reaching the semi-finals of Eastbourne International had earlier been extinguished by Harriet Dart's 6-2 6-1 loss to Leylah Fernandez in Thursday's opening match.
Elsewhere, 15-year-old British schoolgirl Hannah Klugman missed out on reaching the main draw for Wimbledon, as she lost her final qualifying match 6-3 6-3 to the USA's Alycia Parks.
Meanwhile, wildcard Billy Harris is one step away from becoming the first Briton to reach the men's singles final at Eastbourne after battling from a set down to upset Italian world No 49 Flavio Cobolli.
The 29-year-old, a quarter-finalist at Queen's last week, won 6-7 7-6 6-2, having beaten compatriots Jacob Fearnley and Charles Broom in the previous rounds.
Nottingham-born Harris, ranked 139 in the world, will meet Australian qualifier Max Purcell - a 6-3 7-6 victor against Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic - in the semi-finals.
In the run-up to the third Grand Slam of 2024 - Wimbledon - you can watch the biggest tennis stars in action live on Sky Sports.
Stream Sky Sports live with no contract on a Month or Day membership on NOW. Instant access to live action from football, darts, cricket, F1, tennis, golf, rugby league, rugby union and more.
