Raducanu Struggles Again as Swiatek Dominates in French Open

Emma Raducanu’s poor record against Iga Swiatek continued on Wednesday as she was comfortably beaten in the second round of the French Open.

The British number two lost 6-1 6-2 on the clay courts in Paris, meaning she has now been defeated in all five of her matches against the world number one and five-time Grand Slam champion.

It was another clear reminder of the big gap that still exists between Raducanu, currently ranked 41st in the world, and the very best players on the WTA Tour.

Raducanu, 22, had a break point in the opening game but couldn’t take it. After that, Swiatek took control, winning five games in a row to take the first set in just 35 minutes.

Swiatek, known as the “Queen of Clay”, continued her dominance in the second set, quickly going 2-1 up with a break of serve. Although Raducanu tried to fight back and had chances to break in the next game, the Polish star stayed strong and saved three break points.

Raducanu, who wasn’t feeling well before her first-round match, began to fade late in the match and lost the last three games with little resistance.

Despite the loss, Raducanu has shown some improvement over the past few months. After struggling with injuries, she has moved back into the world’s top 50. She reached the quarter-finals at the Miami Open and the last 16 in Rome, showing signs of progress since teaming up with coach Mark Petchey in March.

However, she couldn’t find her rhythm against Swiatek. Her second serve came under heavy pressure, and her shots lacked the accuracy needed to trouble a player of Swiatek’s level.

Raducanu has now won just 3 of her 14 matches against top-10 players, which shows there’s still work to be done if she wants to compete regularly at the highest level.

Clay courts have never been her strongest surface, and beating Swiatek at Roland Garros is one of the hardest tasks in tennis.

Raducanu will now turn her focus to the grass-court season, starting with a WTA tournament at Queen’s Club in London, which begins in less than two weeks.