Emma Raducanu has crashed out in the first round of the Qatar Open following a straight sets defeat to Ekaterina Alexandrova. It is the Brit’s fourth loss in a row as her wretched form goes on following her Australian Open exit.

Raducanu was beaten by her Russian opponent 6-3 7-5 and it’s back to the drawing board again for the 22-year-old, who was handed a tough draw in Doha.

It took Raducanu too long to get going in her opening round match, and she ultimately paid the price despite putting up a fight in the second set against an opponent who is in confident form at present.

Alexandrova has won five matches in a row now, stark contrast to Raducanu, as she continues to soak up her title win in Linz last week after two previous runner-up finishes.

Next up for the Russian is a daunting match-up against world No.1 and three-time Grand Slam champion Aryna Sabalenka, who was given a bye into the secound round.

Following her victory, Alexandrova – beaten by Raducanu at the Australian Open – was quizzed on court about her battle against the Belarusian star. She replied: “For sure it’s gonna be difficult. She plays amazing. She’s a top player. I lost to her at US Open last year, so maybe there’s gonna be a chance We’ll see.”

Raducanu, who catapulted into the spotlight thanks to her incredible triumph at the US Open as a teenager in 2021, had taken an early 3-1 lead in the opening set.

However, Alexandrova finally got going and managed to reel in five consecutive games to grab the first set.

The second set was a tightly-contested affair, with Alexandrova again coming from an early break down. And at 5-5, the 30-year-old grabbed the break at the best possible time.

And she held her nerve to close out the victory and set up her second-round contest with Sabalenka, who is still reeling from her Australian Open final heartbreak against Madison Keys.

The American upset Sabalanka on the Rod Laver Arena in three sets, winning 6-2 2-6 7-5 to seal her first-ever Grand Slam title.