The British No 1 started strongly but could not find the answers to the momentum Aliaksandra Sasnovich generated over the course of the second set; Raducanu finished the match with 17 winners to Sasnovich's 45; Cameron Norrie booked his place in the third round with a straight-sets win
Saturday 28 May 2022 11:58, UK
Emma Raducanu is out of the French Open after a 3-6 6-1 6-1 loss to Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the second round.
The French Open is the last of the Grand Slams that Raducanu has made her debut at and, for a set, it looked as if she was in full control of the contest.
Raducanu was swinging freely through the ball and moving well on a surface she believes could be one of her best in the future.
In the second and third sets, Sasnovich increased her own level significantly, though, while errors became part of Raducanu's work.
Sasnovich will now face Angelique Kerber in the third round at Roland Garros and Raducanu's focus will turn to the forthcoming grass-court season.
Raducanu and Sasnovich, the world No 47 from Belarus, had met only once before on the WTA Tour. The match in Indian Wells last year saw Sasnovich triumph convincingly 6-2 6-4.
It looked to be a different story early on in Paris, though, with Raducanu breaking her opponent in the fifth game of the opening set and looking the more comfortable of the two.
Raducanu used her trusted backhand to stretch Sasnovich across the court and then secured the break with a stunning forehand winner.
A second break wrapped up the opening set before she made a wobbly start to the second, which included a pair of double faults from Raducanu - her first of the match. Sasnovich then snatched a double break for a 4-0 lead.
As Raducanu's game dipped in the second set, Sasnovich's soared. She won 89 per cent of points on her first serve and delivered 19 winners to just four from Raducanu. She also kept her own unforced error rate low, making just four in the second set.
Raducanu left the court for a bathroom break between sets and returned knowing she needed to arrest the momentum against her.
The Brit reached 30-30 on the Sasnovich serve, only to put a backhand into the net, which prompted her to cover her face with her racket in frustration. Nevertheless, the fist pumps returned when she saved a break point to hold for 1-1.
Game three of the deciding set would prove to be pivotal; Sasnovich fended off five break points amid seven deuces to hold. Then, moments later, Raducanu mistimed a forehand and found herself a break down.
Sasnovich was now in complete control of the match and Raducanu was unable to stem the flow of winners against her.
Out on Court 6, Cameron Norrie ensured there would be at least one British player in the third round after beating Australian qualifier Jason Kubler.
The British 10th seed spent two hours and 29 minutes on court and prevailed 6-3 6-4 6-3.
Norrie's victory was built on a platform of strong serving as he put in 70 per cent of his first serves and won 75 per cent of points off them.
Despite delivering 30 unforced errors, Norrie's 36 winners eclipsed that and he was able to benefit from Kubler's extremely high error count (43).
"I'm really happy to be through," Norrie said. "It played out similar to what I thought it would be; pretty physical rallies, not really a clear strategy.
"I felt like my game matched up well with his. I played my patterns and managed to get the first set. It was a very close first set.
"I was a little bit disappointed with how I lost a bit of concentration early in the second. Up a break and a chance to put my foot down. He fought back well, and I played a couple loose points.
"Then also in the third set, to lose concentration again. But I was really happy with how I finished the match playing.
"Winning six games in a row, finding lots of width on my forehand and really spreading the court and hitting it very close to the line, which made it very difficult for him."
The victory for the British men's No 1 means he will now face 21st seed Karen Khachanov, and bid to make the fourth round of a Grand Slam event for the first time.
Norrie and Khachanov have met five times previously on the ATP Tour, with the Brit narrowly leading the head-to-head by three wins to two. They last encountered each other in Rotterdam on a hard court earlier this year.
British No 2 Dan Evans is still waiting to take to court for his second-round match against Sweden's Mikael Ymer. Evans and Ymer will be the last match played on Court 6 on Thursday.
Evans' victory over Francisco Cerundolo in the first round marked his first triumph at Roland Garros in the main draw. He achieved it at the fifth time of asking and after staying up late to watch the US PGA Championship!
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