2 weeks ago
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Emma Raducanu was comprehensively beaten by Coco Gauff at the Italian Open as the American advanced to the quarter-finals in Rome.
Raducanu showed flashes of brilliance on the clay but was ultimately unable to match Gauff's intensity as the fourth seed won 6-1 6-2 in an hour and 20 minutes.
The contest is likely to be Raducanu's final competitive action before the French Open, with the second major of the year getting under way on May 25.
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Gauff, who was a beaten finalist at the Madrid Open - the previous WTA 1000 tournament - earlier in May, will face either Clara Tauson or Mirra Andreeva in the last eight on Wednesday.
"It was definitely an A [grade]. It was tough conditions, it was super windy," Gauff told Sky Sports.
"Emma is a tough opponent no matter what surface. She's tough to play, so I am really happy with how I played.
"My game is getting better every match, I think. Madrid was a step in the right direction. Obviously, I lost in the final and I don't like losing, especially in the final, so I am hoping to redeem myself here."
Relentless Gauff makes Raducanu pay for missed chances
Gauff made an unconvincing start with a double fault in the Grand Stand Arena but battled through the first game before quickly setting into a nice rhythm despite the breezy conditions.
Raducanu was slower to adjust as she gifted her opponent a break with a series of errors, and then spurned a good opportunity to break back immediately after a poor Gauff drop shot.
The Brit gutsily saved a break point to get on the board with the fourth game, but the respite was only temporary as Gauff broke once more before closing out the set 6-1.
There was at least some positivity for Raducanu to take from the final game of the first set after she had ramped up her level of aggression to force a break point from 40-0 down before Gauff saw off the danger.
Raducanu found a decent tactical balance to hold her first couple of service games in the second set but Gauff's relentless defensive play told in the fifth game as the American extracted several errors to take a 3-2 lead.
Raducanu once more had the chance to break back immediately and pummelled a series of fine ground strokes at Gauff on break point before eventually missing with a backhand up the line.
That moment proved decisive, with Gauff holding serve before breaking once more in the next game to close out victory.
Bartoli: Raducanu putting in work; not looking for technical coach
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Marion Bartoli speaking about Raducanu on Sky Sports Tennis:
"I think she's moving better which is crucial on clay. The surface is lively and you're sliding all over the place so you need to get your legs extremely strong. You need to feel the ground really well and when I look at her muscle from the lower body she has been really putting in the work in the gym, which is probably why she decided to take a break after Miami to get those hours in the gym to make sure she was physically ready for the clay and grass too."
On her latest coach Mark Petchey and mentor Jane Donoghue, the former Wimbledon champion said: "Emma is probably looking for a coach who is not too technical. She will really need someone on the court with her every day if she wants to work on her technique. She's probably wanting someone to explain to her how the tactics work for that specific opponent.
"She's going to her box quite often and making eye contact which means she trusts the people inside that box."
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