Defending US Open champion Emma Raducanu knocked out in the first round

She stunned the tennis world last year, but British teen Emma Raducanu couldn’t come to close to replicating her New York triumph.

Emma Raducanu of Great Britain. Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images

Defending US Open champion Emma Raducanu has lost her first-round contest against France’s Alize Cornet in straight sets, joining a lengthy list of shock upsets in Flushing Meadows this week.

Raducanu rewrote the history books in New York last year, becoming the first singles qualifier in the Open Era to win a grand slam title.

But 12 months later, the British teenager couldn’t make it past the opening round, with in-form veteran Cornet cruising to a 6-3 6-3 victory at Louis Armstrong Stadium.

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The 32-year-old got the job done in an hour and 41 minutes.

Raducanu was leading 3-1 in the second set when she needed medical attention for blisters on her hands, losing the following five games. She wiped away tears while exiting the court to applause from the adoring New York crowd.

The 19-year-old is expected to drop to No. 79 in the WTA rankings when the US Open wraps up next week.

Cornet, who broke world No. 1 Iga Swiatek’s 37-match winning streak at Wimbledon last month, will face Czech Republic’s Katerina Siniakova in the second round.

It marks the first time since 2014 that Cornet has managed to get past the opening match at all four major tournaments in a calendar year.

Sheesh, gotta feel for Raducanu. Never good to see a defending champ go out first round. Her ranking is going to plummet. #USOpen

— Casey Conway (@caseyconway_) August 31, 2022

Wow. Cornet just bounced Emma Raducanu. #USOpen2022

— Julie DiCaro wrote a book (@JulieDiCaro) August 31, 2022

Raducanu is toast. One second aggressive, the next totally uncertain. Unforced errors all over the place. A short week in New York. #USOpen2022

— Brian Wacker (@brianwacker1) August 31, 2022

“I think it was a bit of everything,” Cornet said after the win

“I did a lot of variation and I think that’s what worked tonight, but I should definitely keep the drop shot in my game.”

“I think I’m just handling my emotions better,” she continued in the post-match press conference.

“I guess I’m getting old and getting more mature and now when I have to serve for the match I stay in the match and stay in the present moment and really think about what I have to do.

“I think managing my emotions is just much better and I’m really happy because it shows in my results. It’s good because I’m 32, and it’s better late than never.”

Alize Cornet of France. Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images

Emma Raducanu of Great Britain receives medical attention. Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images

Elsewhere in Flushing Meadows, reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina crashed out of the tournament after unseeded qualifier Clara Burel defeated her in straight sets 6-4 6-4.

Rybakina, who tallied 19 winners and a whopping 37 unforced errors, becomes the sixth seeded woman to be knocked out in the opening round of the US Open, joining two-time grand slam champion Simona Halep.

American sporting icon Serena Williams claimed a 6-3 6-4 win over World No. 80 Danka Kovinic to ensure her incredible career goes for another match, while No. 4 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas was knocked out after suffering a shock defeat to Colombian qualifier Daniel Galan.

Meanwhile, fiery Frenchman Benoit Paire claims he might have played his final tennis match after a spectacular tank job against Britain’s Cameron Norrie, who eased to a comfortable 6-0 7-6 6-0 victory.

Originally published as Defending US Open champion Emma Raducanu knocked out in the first round