The 2019 and 2021 US Open ladies’ singles champions, Bianca Andreescu and Emma Raducanu exited the 2024 US Open in the first round on Tuesday night. Their emotional exits happened under the New York lights. The former champions crashed out of this year’s US Open much earlier than fans hoped. Andreescu and Raducanu had difficult draws. Both lost their matches in three competitive sets. Their losses show how difficult it is to win the US Open (or any Grand Slam) more than once.
Winning a Second US Open Not In The Cards
The good news is that both Andreescu and Raducanu are young players. They are 24 and 21 years old respectively. They won their first US Open titles as teenagers. That is a daunting and impressive task. This is especially true for Raducanu who won her US Open as a qualifier. She is the first-ever women’s player to achieve that honor.
The bad news is that both women have dealt with more injuries than would be expected at their young ages. Injuries sapped them physically and emotionally. They will look to get back on the winning track to finish the year.
Raducanu Creating Momentum At US Open After Break
Emma Raducanu and her team decided not to play many of this summer’s hardcourt warmup tournaments. She played well in Washington, DC at the Mubadala Citi DC Open but skipped the Canadian and Cincinnati Open tournaments. The goal was to be rested. Match readiness is sometimes affected by these types of decisions. This is particularly true because Raducanu’s first-round opponent was 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin.
Kenin has experienced many of the same issues as Raducanu. At 25, she is coming out the other end of injury and confidence issues that plagued her after her maiden Grand Slam win. Raducanu may have gotten away with being rusty against a younger player or a qualifier. That plan did not work against the American Kenin on her home court.
Andreescu’s Unlucky Draw
Bianca Andreescu’s best surface is the hardcourt. Fans had high hopes for her at this year’s US Open until they saw her draw. For the third time since June, Andreescu faced Italian Jasmine Paolini. Paolini defeated Andreescu at Wimbledon and the Paris Olympics. On hard courts, everyone hoped for a different result.
The fact is that Paolini is having a career year in singles and doubles. That momentum and confidence are assets that translate on the court. Andreescu cramped up in the high humidity, a sign of nerves or lack of match play in recent years. After the match, as Andreescu congratulated Paolini, she jokingly pleaded with her to let her (Andreescu) win the next one.
Winning The Open Is Hard
US Open champions should be celebrated. Whether they win the Grand Slam one time or many times, it is a tremendous accomplishment creating tennis immortality. Fans should not assume that once a player wins the US Open one time, he or she somehow unlocks the secret to being a repeat champion. As Bianca Andreescu and Emma Raducanu’s recent careers have demonstrated, repeating is much easier said than done. Mental, physical, and emotional issues are problematic. Scheduling and luck also play a role.
What Coco Gauff Thinks About Repeating
Defending ladies’ singles champion Coco Gauff is determined to win it again. She has not guaranteed back-to-back wins. Gauff is young, healthy, and athletic. She is confident in her skills. Gauff believes she can make it happen again.
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