Emma Raducanu suffered a first-round exit for the second straight tournament on Tuesday, falling in straight sets to Marketa Vondrousova at the Abu Dhabi Open.
The Brit had avoided needing to qualify for the 28-player tournament after being given a late wildcard, but was unable to make hay as the 2023 Wimbledon champion swept her aside with relative ease.
Raducanu, who remains without a coach having parted ways with Nick Cavaday on Jan. 24, broke her Czech opponent’s serve early in the opener but was unable to capitalise, losing five consecutive games and consequently the set.
The 2021 U.S. Open winner was unable to wrestle back the initiative in the second set but showed good fight in saving two match points before succumbing 6-4.
The week prior, Raducanu had entered the Singapore Open in good spirits after her run to the third round of the Australian Open but was shocked in the first round by world No. 101 Cristina Bucșa.
Before the tournament in the United Arab Emirates, Raducanu told The National that she was going to take her time over a coaching decision.
“It’s a decision that I want to take my time with,” Raducanu, now ranked No. 56, said.
“I think that’s why I haven’t necessarily jumped into something straight away, because I want to make sure it’s a right fit.
“And I think this period where I don’t necessarily have someone is going to tell me a lot. It’s going to teach me a lot, what I want, what I don’t want to look for in the next person.
“So I think I’m using this time period to just figure out what I really value. I’m not too sure yet right now. I haven’t come to any plans or decisions. So yeah, I’m just taking it, using the next couple weeks to see how I feel, and then make a decision.”
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