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Emma Raducanu suffered a first-round exit at the Miami Open after losing to Bianca Andreescu in a battle of former US Open champions.
Britain’s Raducanu, who won the US Open in 2021, was beaten 6-3 3-6 6-2 by 2019 Flushing Meadows champion Andreescu, with the Canadian now advancing to play seventh seed Maria Sakkari in round two.
Raducanu won three matches at Indian Wells last week before falling to world No 1 Iga Swiatek in the round of 16 in what was her first tournament since a second-round exit at the Australian Open in January.
Andreescu, whose run in Indian Wells last week was also ended by Swiatek, broke Raducanu in her first service game in the opening set, with the Brit then forced to save a break point at 1-4 down and a set point at 2-5.
Andreescu went on to clinch the set but was broken by Raducanu in the eighth game of the second set, as her opponent finally converted a seventh break point before levelling the match in her next service game.
Both players staved off break points early in the decider, only for Andreescu to then break to lead 4-2 before doing so again to claim victory and take her winning record against Raducanu to 2-0.
World No 1 Swiatek withdraws due to rib injury
Swiatek, the defending champion in Miami after beating Naomi Osaka in last year’s final, has withdrawn due to a rib injury that she sustained during her win ay the Qatar Total Open last month.
The 21-year-old, who was due to play American Claire Liu in the last 64 on Thursday after receiving a first-round bye, is planning on taking a break and will also miss the Billie Jean King Cup in April.
Swiatek wrote on social media: “In and after Doha I was struggling with a strong infection. I was allowed to play, but a strong episode of tough cough led to a rib injury.
“We were trying to handle it and continue to play as long as it was safe for me. We were analysing the data in the last days and my doctor prepared my diagnosis.
“Unfortunately, I’m still feeling a lot of discomfort and pain and I can’t compete. I need to take a break to recover and I have to pull out of the Miami Open and Billie Jean King Cup. It’s a truly difficult call to not play… but health is the
most important.
“I will keep you updated about where I play next, because it depends on my process of recovering and the recommendation of my medical team. I have the best team behind me, we only need some time to deal with the injury.
“I’m grateful this is the first health issue in a long time and I was able to compete in perfect shape for so long, but that’s sports, it happens sometimes, without our control. Time to accept it and get well as soon as possible.”
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