Emma Raducanu's Australian Open campaign came to a disappointing conclusion on Wednesday as the British number one suffered a 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 defeat against Anastasia Potapova in the second round.
The 28th seed appeared well-positioned to advance, establishing a commanding 5-3 advantage in the opening set, yet failed to capitalise on her strong start.
Potapova, ranked 55th in the world, seized the momentum and never relinquished it.
The loss denied Raducanu a highly anticipated third-round encounter with world number one Aryna Sabalenka, against whom she had competed memorably at Wimbledon.
Emma Raducanu was branded "very subdued, quiet and passive"
|REUTERS
Rennae Stubbs, the former coach of Serena Williams and current TNT Sports commentator, offered a withering assessment of the British player's display.
"Certainly, there will be questions asked of Emma Raducanu because that was not as spirited an effort from her today; very subdued, quiet and passive," Stubbs remarked.
The veteran tennis analyst drew an unflattering comparison with Raducanu's opponent, noting that Potapova demonstrated far greater hunger for victory.
"In the end, it was just a more aggressive Potapova. A player who really wanted it, you saw it on her face and in her words to her coaches, she was really wanting to win this match," Stubbs added.
The statistics painted a grim picture of Raducanu's afternoon in Melbourne.
Anastasia Potapova clinched victory over Emma Raducanu after seizing the momentum
|REUTERS
She committed 28 unforced errors throughout the contest, undermining any consistency she might have established.
Her serve proved particularly problematic, with just 46 per cent of first serves won.
The second set proved especially troublesome as the 23-year-old surrendered her service game on three separate occasions.
Windy conditions at Melbourne Park clearly unsettled the British player, who acknowledged struggling to find her rhythm.
Having secured victory in straight sets during the opening round, expectations from British supporters had been elevated heading into the Potapova encounter.
Raducanu, however, refused to be overly harsh on herself following the defeat.
Emma Raducanu refused to blame herself over her defeat
|REUTERS
"I don't want to give myself too much of a hard time because I know my preparation going into this tournament. I have to leave with my head held high because of the matches I've had here," she explained.
A foot injury had disrupted her off-season training, leaving her unable to prepare properly for the Melbourne fortnight.
The 2021 US Open champion admitted she had been uncertain whether she would even travel to Australia at the start of the year.
"It was one of those you're 5-3 up, but you're not feeling particularly good, and you're trying to tough out every point however you can. It's not the way that I want to really be playing," Raducanu reflected.