Raducanu slumps to another painful loss

Brit’s form a worry ahead of New York

EMMA RADUCANU’S preparations for the defence of her US Open title suffered another setback after she was bullied into defeat by Russia’s Liudmila Samsonova in the Washington Open quarter-finals.

Raducanu, the world No10, lost 7-6, 6-1 to a player ranked 50 places below her. And the 19-year-old fled the arena without fielding questions as concerns escalate over her form and fitness just three weeks before she goes back to Flushing Meadows.

There was double disappointment for Britain as Dan Evans had earlier been defeated 7-6, 4-6, 7-5 by Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka in their quarter-final.

Raducanu, playing her first event since her second-round exit from Wimbledon, managed just eight winners to go with 24 unforced errors in a dismal performance.

Samsonova, 23, overpowered the British No1, firing down nine aces and 33 winners.

Raducanu had come through two matches to reach the last eight — just her third quarter-final appearance since last year’s US Open, when she stunned the tennis world by taking the title without dropping a set.

She has won just 13 matches since that dream fortnight, has twice changed coach — she has just linked up with Russian Dmitry Tursunov — and is struggling with blisters. Against Samsonova her fingers were again heavily taped.

While Raducanu continues to go through the mill, the only way is up for Britain’s top-ranked man, world No12 Cameron Norrie.

Norrie reached the Los Cabos Open final in Mexico by beating Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, where he faced world No 1 Daniil Medvedev early this morning.