Tim Henman says Emma Raducanu’s latest defeat will be ‘unbelievably tough’ to take but there are still plenty of positives.
The British No.1 suffered another early exit, losing 3-6 6-4 7-5 to Katerina Siniakova in the second round of the Miami Open.
Raducanu served for the match in the third set but failed to make the most of it as her disappointing 2022 season continues – the 19-year-old has won just two of her seven matches this term.
But Henman feels tennis is a game of small margins and if she finds the sort of form she displayed in winning the US Open last year she’ll soon be back to her best.
The former British No.1 said on Amazon Prime as cited by Sports Central: ‘It’s an unbelievably tough loss for Emma. ‘She did everything but win the match and the quality from both women was fantastic. ‘Everyone is going to compare the way she played at the US Open to here, but I think she played just as well as she did in New York. ‘The reality is all the big points and big games, she managed to win in New York. It hasn’t happened here, but that’s why this is such a brutal sport. ‘It’s a massive learning curve for Raducanu, but there are still so many positives to take from this match.’
While 11th seed Raducanu suffered an early exit in Miami. fellow Brit Heather Watson claimed her first win over a top-20 player since 2020 with a 4-6 6-3 7-6 (7-4) victory over Elina Svitolina to reach the third round.
Watson told Amazon Prime: ‘I love this tournament. I’ve been coming here for so long, I feel like it’s home. ‘I’m really happy that I’m coming back into form this year. ‘I was just thinking at the end that my fitness got me through that match. I’m really glad I held my nerve and was able to get over the line.
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