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Emma Raducanu falls to straight sets defeat to world No 60 Liudmila Samsonova in the quarter-final of the Citi Open in Washington as the Brit’s US Open preparations hit a snag
- The second seed was knocked out of the Citi Open in Washington
- Liudmila Samsonova, the world no 60, overpowered her opponent over two sets
- The Russian saved four set points on her way to clinching the first set
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Second seed Emma Raducanu’s Citi Open run has ended with a quarter-final defeat against Liudmila Samsonova in Washington.
Despite a tight opening set, Raducanu was ultimately overpowered 7-6 (6) 6-1 by the Russian world number 60.
Samsonova saved four set points en route to clinching the first set before cruising home in the second with nine aces and 33 winners for the match.
Emma Raducanu fell to a straight sets defeat to her Russian opponent in Washington
Liudmilla Samsonova overpowered her second seed opponent to advance to the semi-finals
Raducanu proved to be her own worst enemy as she struggled to compete with Samsonova’s strength, mustering just eight winners and a single ace to go along with 24 unforced errors.
In the ATP event, British men’s number two Dan Evans fell in three sets to Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka in their quarter-final clash.
After losing the opening set in a tiebreak, Evans rallied to claim the second in convincing fashion.
However he was unable to sustain that momentum in the third as the world number 96 pulled out a 7-6 (5) 4-6 7-5 victory.
Raducanu’s preparations for the US Open – a title which she currently holds – hit a snag