Emma Raducanu has to have her blood pressure checked during Australian Open defeat by Yafan Wang in three sets… as loss caps a dismal day for Brits with Jack Draper and Katie Boulter out too

Emma Raducanu suffered more physical problems during an exit in the second round of the Australian Open against China’s Wang Yafan.

The former US Open champion, playing only her fourth match since returning after an eight-month absence and three operations, had fought back strongly from a set and a break down to force a deciding set.

But Raducanu then appeared to struggle with breathing, clutching her chest and stomach before calling the trainer after two matches.

She had her blood pressure checked and took some pills before continuing, and she fought hard to turn the match around, but Wang held on to win 6-4 4-6 6-4 after two hours and 55 minutes.

Raducanu’s departure followed that of Katie Boulter and Jack Draper and means Cameron Norrie, who previously fought from two sets down to beat Giulio Zeppieri, is the only British player to progress to the third round.

Raducanu fought hard, but was eventually eliminated by her impressive opponent Wang

Raducanu began to struggle physically in the third set and received medical attention, including having her blood pressure checked

Raducanu comfortably won her first round match against Shelby Rogers, but the American looked very rusty herself after a long break, making it difficult to gauge the 21-year-old’s true level.

This was a much bigger test, with Wang, a former top-50 player now ranked 94th, still working her way back into the game after choosing not to travel due to Covid restrictions policy of China.

The 29-year-old’s play initially held up better than Raducanu’s in the windy conditions and she opened a 5-2 lead in the first set.

The match was again played in the relatively small 1573 Arena, and at every entrance there were lines of fans eager to watch the match.

Raducanu received the majority of support and she raised hopes of a comeback by winning consecutive matches to make it 5-4, but Wang served the ball out at the second time of request.

There were too many mistakes on the British player’s racket, causing her to drop serve again at the beginning of the second set.

But Raducanu dug in and gradually began to find her range, eventually grabbing her fifth break point in a long fourth game to level.

The 21-year-old is determined to stick to an aggressive game plan after her comeback and her forehand now looked the dominant shot.

It was still positive to see Raducanu competing at the highest level again after her injury woes

She showed glimpses of her undoubted quality and hopes to build up her competition fitness

Meanwhile, Wang reached the third round of the Australian Open for the first time in her career

She broke to lead 5-3 with a thrilling cross-court winner, but hesitation crept in as she tried to serve out the set, with two chances begging.

However, Raducanu didn’t let the disappointment get to him and refused to falter as more chances came on Wang’s serve, drilling a backhand winner to clinch a mammoth 65-minute set.

Both players took bathroom breaks, but that did not alleviate the discomfort Raducanu felt and there were doubts as to whether she would be able to continue.

She improved again physically as the match progressed and will feel she could have turned the set around, but a final backhand into the net spelled her undoing.