EMMA RADUCANU suffered one of her heaviest Grand Slam defeats as she was blown away by clean-hitting Elena Rybakina.
The former US Open champion was crushed 6-1 6-2 in the third round by the 2022 Wimbledon conqueror.
The pair may have shared the doubles court together and have a decent relationship in the locker room but it was one-way traffic for the Eastern European.
Fashion mogul Anna Wintour watched on from Raducanu’s box as the 22-year-old, wearing her lucky colour of red, was easily beaten before most New Yorkers had grabbed their lunches.
It is her misfortune that she has been dumped out of the four Slams this year by Major champions Iga Swiatek (Australian and French Open) and Aryna Sabalenka (Wimbledon).
The first clash against the Pole represents the heaviest major loss on her CV – a 6-1 6-0 walloping in Melbourne in January.
READ MORE ON EMMA RADUCANU
Up to 34 in the world, Raducanu’s task ahead of the 2026 Australian Open is to be one of the top 32 seeds so she avoids a big name in the opening rounds.
Raducanu’s serving had been impressive this week but then she did have to play two qualifiers from Asia, Ena Shibahara and Janice Tjen, who were both eliminated in under 62 minutes.
This was a significant step up in class, though Rybakina does not have a great record at the US Open, having never made the quarter-finals before.
Raducanu, 22, was broken for the first time in the tournament as Rybakina managed to read the return and was hitting the ball cleanly and with authority, crushing every ball from the baseline.
The Moscow-born Kazakhstani, 26, was giving Raducanu no time to breathe on a much cooler morning at Flushing Meadows, far removed from some of the more stifling, humid days the players have had to experience in tournaments past.
Rybakina was firmly in charge when she broke for the second time in game six of the first set.
The Brit had no answer and after 27 minutes, despite coach Francisco Roig’s constant talk and instructions from the sidelines, she was a set behind.
Even when she thought she could make an inroad into the Rybakina serve, her opponent produced a powerful first serve in response.
Having cruised through her opening two appearances, this was an example of the real Grand Slam challenge, with Rybakina hitting 11 winners, six off the forehand.
Things got worse at the start of set two as Raducanu crumbled from 40-0 up and was broken by the No9 seed.
Roig, formerly in the Rafael Nadal camp, shouted out “the ball is very heavy” and that is true – but it does not help when it comes back at you at such pace and precision.
On the Louis Armstrong Stadium, named after the famous New Orleans-born trumpeter and jazz musician, Raducanu did not have all the time in the world.
In fact her time in the event was all over when 62 minutes on the match clock — her quickest Grand Slam exit.
Tennis stars following in parents’ footsteps
TALK about pressure…
These rising stars are all making their way in tennis.
But they have got something in common – they’ve got a famous parent who also made their name in the sport.
So who are the players hoping to follow in the footsteps of their tennis mums and dads?
Read the full article here