WHAT HAPPENED: The 2022 US Open will feature no replay of last year’s dream run for Emma Raducanu. One year removed from the most spectacular two weeks of her young career, the defending champion and No. 11 seed was dismissed in the first round at the hands of seasoned Frenchwoman Alizé Cornet, 6-3, 6-3.
It was Raducanu’s first loss in eight career main-draw matches at the US Open, and it was the first time a defending champion crashed out of the first round since Angelique Kerber in 2017.
In her post-match interview, Cornet apologized to the crowd for defeating their new favorite, but was also appreciative of their support for her clutch play on Tuesday night.
“I’m sorry I beat her tonight but I’m really happy with my performance,” Cornet said with a laugh. “I felt like I played a really solid match, I was fighting my heart out and hanging in there. I think my game at the net was pretty good, I think it was a bit of everything, playing with a bit of variation, and it definitely worked tonight.”
Raducanu’s shotmaking was on full display from the start, but Cornet is not a player who goes away easily. The veteran put pressure on Raducanu’s serve, breaking three of the Brit’s first four service games to put her ahead and claim the first set. As the match wore on, service woes proved to be costly for both women, as they finished with a combined 11 breaks of serve on the match.
Raducanu threatened a comeback with a 3-1 lead in the second set before Cornet reeled off the next five games and closed the match when a Raducanu volley sailed wide.
It’s been a tumultuous 365 days since we last saw Raducanu in New York, including a 15-18 record since she lifted the 2021 trophy. Her US Open return came in completely different circumstances from a year ago. Before, she was playing as the underdog, a qualifier with no expectations, no points to defend and no target on her back.
Now she returned as a top seed, the defending champion and, whether she admits it or not, a tremendous amount of pressure on her shoulders. Not to mention, British legend Virginia Wade was back in the stands to watch Raducanu’s first-round performance.
WHAT IT MEANS: Cornet moves into the second round, where she will face the Czech Republic’s Katerina Siniakova, a first-round winner over Taylor Townsend in three sets. Cornet and Siniakova have met once before, a 2016 contest in Prague that the Czech took in straight sets. This time around, the Frenchwoman has to like her chances given her recent momentum. Just last week, she reached the semifinals in Cleveland before bowing out to Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
MATCH POINT: Even before the first ball was struck, Cornet only needed to set foot on the court Tuesday night to set a record for the history books. The 2022 US Open was the 63rd consecutive Grand Slam main draw appearance for the 32-year-old, a streak that began at the 2007 Australian Open. The feat marked an Open Era record previously held by Ai Sugiyama with 62.
