Emma Raducanu falls to a 6-3 7-6 (7-4) defeat against Coco Gauff in the second round of the Australian Open; Raducanu appears troubled by a problem to her abs as American teenager Gauff fends off late fightback; Cameron Norrie beats Frenchman Constant Lestienne in four sets
Wednesday 18 January 2023 15:01, UK
British No 1 Emma Raducanu pushed teenager Coco Gauff but fell short of an upset in the second round of the Australian Open, while Cameron Norrie toiled away into the early hours of the morning to reach the third round.
Raducanu was trying to beat a top-10 player for the first time, and this was a contest of fierce hitting that produced sporadic moments of brilliance from both women - as well as a lot of errors.
The former US Open champion, ranked 70 places below Gauff, grew into the match and was the better player late in the second set but was unable to take two set points and fell to a 6-3 7-6 (7-4) defeat.
Raducanu was full of praise for Gauff, saying: "She is a great mover, a great athlete. She puts another ball in play, so you feel like you have to squeeze it closer to the line and then she kind of teases errors out of you that way. I think she's a good athlete. It's one of her strengths.
"I think that we're going to be playing each other many times in the future as we're both young, up and coming. We're going to be the next generation."
Although she is more than a year younger than her rival, Gauff has a lot more experience after a steadier rise up the ranks and is one of the favourites to win the tournament.
Raducanu was again wearing tape on her left ankle as she walked out for her debut on Laver, which was covered on an inclement day in Melbourne.
She fell 0-30 down on her opening service game but battled back to hold. Gauff was then forced to save a couple of break points with some huge serving in the third game as both players settled into a captivating clash between two of the brightest stars in the women's game.
The American, who reached her maiden Grand Slam final at last year's French Open, broke for 3-1 but she quickly relinquished her advantage when a double-fault handed the initiative back to the Brit at the fourth time of asking.
Raducanu appeared to target Gauff's forehand but she was missing forehands herself as more costly errors handed her opponent a 4-2 lead.
The 18-year-old made it three games in a row thanks to an impressive hold of serve to close in on the opening set.
Gauff, who arrived in Melbourne having claimed the Adelaide International title, saved three more break points when serving for the set before finally sealing it with a thunderous first serve.
Raducanu's game plan of pressing Gauff was backfiring as she racked up a total of 21 unforced errors.
A second double fault from Raducanu gifted Gauff an early break in the second set with the world No 77 walking back to her chair holding her left abdominal muscle.
She appeared compromised by the stomach strain on serve but Gauff maintained her own focus to open up a 4-2 advantage with some more big serving.
However, in a dramatic turnaround, a horror game from Gauff handed Raducanu a break for 4-4 with the 20-year-old quickly consolidating in the next.
Suddenly Gauff looked hesitant and Raducanu created two chances at 5-4 to force a decider, only to overcook a forehand on the first and dump a drop shot into the net on the second.
Gauff held on to force a tie-break and used her remarkable powers of defence to frustrate her opponent before clinching victory on her third match point.
"Emma was playing really good tennis towards the end of the match," said Gauff. "I think we both started off rocky, but I think the match was good quality for the most part.
"Both of us were nervous. This was a long-anticipated match-up, basically since the draw came out."
Raducanu is yet to make it past the second round of a Grand Slam since her New York heroics but there should not be too much despondency at another early exit.
Norrie overcame Frenchman Constant Lestienne to reach the third round, but the British No 1 was made to work hard for his win on Court 13.
Persistent rain in Melbourne meant the match, which was last on the schedule, did not begin until 10pm having been moved to an outside court.
There were a few more brief stops for drizzle, disruption by rowdy spectators and plenty of twists and turns before Norrie finally wrapped up a 6-3 3-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 victory over his unseeded French opponent at 1.28am.
Lestienne's story is one of persistence, the 30-year-old Frenchman making his main draw debut at a Grand Slam after falling in qualifying 21 times.
He drove Norrie to distraction with his unconventional use of slice and trick shots, which included an attempted lob played through his legs when down set point in the opener.
Norrie smashed that one away but things became complicated in the second and he looked in real trouble when down 5-2 in the third.
But Norrie, seeded 11, has toughed out so many matches over the past two years and he fought his way back, winning the set on a tie-break, before finally overcoming Lestienne and his own frustration in the fourth.
Czech world No 71 Jiri Lehecka, who Norrie beat a week ago in Auckland, awaits him in the next round.
