Emma Raducanu slumps in defeat to Elina Svitolina in Auckland – after an impressive performance as underdog – as the British star continues her return to action after an eight-month injury layoff

Emma Raducanu reminded everyone what all the fuss was about as she came within a few points of causing a significant stir in her second match after eight months.

The 21-year-old from Kent pushed Wimbledon semi-finalist and former world number 3 Elina Svitolina to the limit before suffering a 6-7 7-6 6-1 defeat in the second round of the ASB Classic in Auckland.

Raducanu produced some brilliant tennis to lead the second tiebreak in what was her first tournament since undergoing wrist and ankle surgery in the spring.

The quality of the two players was often at the level of the top twenty, but the lack of matches ultimately determined that the winner would be the world number 25, who has a falsely low ranking after playing on tour for only six months since the birth of her first. child.

There is a lot for Raducanu to build on as she heads into the Australian Open, and her ball striking was excellent, backed up by brilliant defense that left a very tough opponent in turmoil before fatigue and soreness struck in the end, with signs that her back was stiffening.

'It was a really great match and Emma played a great match too. I was very happy with how I handled the pressure moments,” said the extremely experienced Svitolina.

Raducanu jumped to a 5-1 lead in the first set, combining venomous forehands with impressive defense against one of the strongest and smartest operators around.

Not only that, but she hurried along the back of the field with great agility, despite wearing heavy straps around her toned thigh.

It wasn't that the Ukrainian was playing badly, and she was ready to pounce when she was 5-2 down when Raducanu succumbed to nerves while trying to serve the ball out. Svitolina won five games in a row, but the British player held on at 5-6 and reached 5-2 in the tiebreak.

Nerves crept in again with a double fault, but a brilliant drop shot took Raducanu to 6-4 and she closed out the match after missing her first chance with another clever thump at the other end of the court.

Svitolina – perhaps the best active player in recent years not to have won a Major – raised her level to go to 3-1 in the second inning, but her opponent held on admirably and got her reward when the pressure she applied yielded a double. mistake that caused her to break back for 3-3.

Raducanu had two break points to lead 5-3 and will rue a missed backhand on one of them. In the tiebreak she led 3-1, but two crucial missed forehands were costly and she lost the next six points.

From then on, predictably enough, the lack of tennis in the former US Open champion's legs became apparent, and an early break signaled a one-sided decider as the efforts of the first two hours took their toll.

Raducanu must now decide how to spend her build-up week to the Open, with the potential to play real WTA events in Hobart or Adelaide, or take part in the low-key Kooyong exhibition in Melbourne.