Raducanu’s breakout year ends in defeat
US Open champion Emma Raducanu ended her breakthrough season yesterday morning (Singapore time), when she was knocked out of the WTA event in Linz, losing her opening match 6-1, 6-7 (0/7), 7-5 to world No. 106 Wang Xinyu.
Raducanu, the top seed, confirmed after the match that Torben Beltz, who used to coach former world no. 1 Angelique Kerber, will be her new coach.
Raducanu was playing in just her third tournament since she stunned the tennis world in September by becoming the first qualifier to win a Major.
The 18-year-old Briton, who has risen to world No. 20, struggled with her serves against 20-year-old Wang.
Without a coach since parting company with Andrew Richardson after her US Open win, Raducanu said after the match that Beltz will coach her next season.
The German, 44, had coached Kerber during her successful 2016 Australian Open and US Open campaigns.
"I think that experience definitely helps with someone as inexperienced as me," she said. - AFP
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