Emma Raducanu's Australian Open preparations took a hit as she was handed a surprise quarter-final defeat by Taylah Preston at the Hobart International. The British number one, who is seeded first at the event - her last before the Grand Slam begins on Sunday - fell to Australia's unseeded 204-ranked opponent in a 6-2 6-4 result.
Raducanu was particularly inconsistent on serve, committing four double faults and holding in only three of nine service games. The world number 11 also struggled to find her rhythm, with Preston dominating the rallies and taking advantage of Raducanu's mistakes.
The loss will be a significant setback for Raducanu, who has not reached a final since her US Open victory last year. Her season has been hampered by a foot problem and she showed signs of rust in an early-round exit against Maria Sakkari before bouncing back to beat Camila Osorio in the first round.
Raducanu will now arrive in Melbourne on the back of just three competitive matches, and faces a daunting task ahead if she is to get her season back on track. She has drawn Thailand's Mananchaya Sawangkaew for her next match, with a potential third-round showdown against world number one Aryna Sabalenka looming.
The result also raises questions about Raducanu's preparation for the Australian Open, which takes place in just a week's time. Her coach, Francisco Roig, was seen urging her to "let it rip" and "don't be static" during the match, suggesting that he is aware of the need for improvement.
Despite the setback, Raducanu remains one of the top contenders for the women's singles title in Melbourne, and she will be determined to put this result behind her and get back on track as quickly as possible.
Raducanu was particularly inconsistent on serve, committing four double faults and holding in only three of nine service games. The world number 11 also struggled to find her rhythm, with Preston dominating the rallies and taking advantage of Raducanu's mistakes.
The loss will be a significant setback for Raducanu, who has not reached a final since her US Open victory last year. Her season has been hampered by a foot problem and she showed signs of rust in an early-round exit against Maria Sakkari before bouncing back to beat Camila Osorio in the first round.
Raducanu will now arrive in Melbourne on the back of just three competitive matches, and faces a daunting task ahead if she is to get her season back on track. She has drawn Thailand's Mananchaya Sawangkaew for her next match, with a potential third-round showdown against world number one Aryna Sabalenka looming.
The result also raises questions about Raducanu's preparation for the Australian Open, which takes place in just a week's time. Her coach, Francisco Roig, was seen urging her to "let it rip" and "don't be static" during the match, suggesting that he is aware of the need for improvement.
Despite the setback, Raducanu remains one of the top contenders for the women's singles title in Melbourne, and she will be determined to put this result behind her and get back on track as quickly as possible.
still got a few weeks before Aussie Open... think about all the things that can go wrong 
Raducanu's been dealing with injuries & rust in previous matches... now she's gotta shake off this loss too 
not gonna lie, feels like it's already getting late for her season 
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. "Let it rip" and "don't be static"? Sounds like he's trying to distract her from the real issues at hand 
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. Maybe someone wants Raducanu to underperform so they can gain an advantage? I don't know, but I'm keeping an eye on this one 
. Can't trust anyone anymore 
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i think she was really nervous and couldn't get her serve going lol and taylah preston played so well! anyway, did u know that there's a big tennis tournament in melbourne next week? i'm trying to figure out how to get tickets tho... i mean, it's gonna be so cool to see emma play again 
. I mean, 204-ranked Taylah Preston beating her? That's just crazy talk 
. And Raducanu's coach is right, she does need to shake off that rust and get into her game 
. Maybe she'll turn it around in Melbourne, but I'm gonna keep my expectations low 
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she had that perfect shot at Australia Open but then boom! gets destroyed by some random aussie girl 
can't wait to see how she bounces back tho 
She was supposed 2 b seeded 1 but got thrashed by that 204-ranked Aussie girl Taylah Preston 
what's goin on?! Rads looked so rusty out there, like she'd been sittin 4 a while... four double faults? 
. Hope she gets her game back 2 b 'cause she's still got a shot @ the title 
it's like she had a mental block or something 
anyway, she'll bounce back 
and come stronger from this loss 
her coach is right 
"let it rip" and don't be static 
Oh man, Emma Raducanu is having a rough week! 
I was hyped to see her crush it at the Australian Open, but now I'm not so sure 
. Let's see how she does in Melbourne! 
this loss is defo going to give her some serious doubts about her game... what's up with that serve of hers tho? 
. And to make matters worse, she lost to someone who's seeded 204 in the world? 
The foot problem is no joke though, hope Emma's back to her best soon. And coaches are always trying to motivate, but "let it rip" might be a bit harsh if you ask me. 
. I mean, it's not like she's a total beginner or anything, she's number 11 in the world 
. I mean, I get it, quarter-finals are tough anywhere, but Hobart is usually a bit of a warm-up for the bigger tournaments... and that unseeded opponent Taylah Preston was totally on fire 
btw, taylah preston is like whoa, seeded 204 but still managed to take down emma rads 
so yeah, theres definitely room for improvement on both sides 
. Three competitive matches in a row isn't much prep for the Aussie Open, and now she's gotta deal with Sabalenka 
. She'll need to get her head back in the game ASAP, or risk getting taken down by one of those top players 
. It seems like Emma Raducanu has some work cut out for her ahead of the Australian Open, but she's definitely not one to give up easily!