Tearful Emma Raducanu makes painful admission after opening round defeat at the US Open and insists she will ‘manage her schedule differently’ going forward

Emma Raducanu tearfully admitted she will be “rearranging her schedule” after being defeated by Sofia Kenin in the first round of the US Open – her first competitive match since August 2.

The 21-year-old is still waiting for her first US Open victory since winning the title three years ago.

The 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 defeat further highlights Raducanu’s decision not to play any tournaments since Washington at the beginning of the month.

Would a little more match sharpness have made the difference at crucial moments in the deciding set? We can’t say for sure, but they’re not called warm-up tournaments for nothing.

“I probably would have liked to play a little bit more before the US Open,” Raducanu admitted. “I know that when I have a lot of matches, like any other player, you feel really good, you feel like everything is automatic. So yeah, I think I can learn from it and manage my schedule a little bit differently.”

The Briton was knocked out in the first round at the US Open, losing to American Sofia Kenin

Raducanu, 21, was on court for two hours and eleven minutes but lost the match in three sets

Asked to clarify whether the decision to return to London after Washington instead of playing the qualifier in Cincinnati was a personal or a team decision, Raducanu replied: “I would say it wasn’t me. It was more of a collective decision and yes, that’s what happened. You can’t really change it.”

While trying to explain her state of mind after this defeat, Raducanu became tearful and said: ‘I feel down… I feel, I feel sad. This is clearly a tournament where I really want to do well.’

Kenin, 25, won the Australian Open in 2020, but several issues have left her outside the top 50.

However, she still has an excellent court and in the opening set Raducanu could not cope with the American’s idiosyncratic, counter-attacking style.

Sofia Kenin advances to the second round to face either Shelby Rogers or Jessica Pegula

Raducanu has been struggling with a series of injuries all year and has not played much

Kenin’s drop shot is particularly difficult to interpret because she hits the ball with both hands, meaning the usual cue of the left hand coming off the racket doesn’t register.

Raducanu calmed down in the second set and played with more patience, maintaining a near-constant dialogue with coach Nick Cavaday between points as they tried to find a way through Kenin’s defense.

She had a break point and took a 2-0 lead in the third set, but once Kenin took the lead, she felt comfortable.