British tennis star Emma Raducanu has been knocked out of the National Bank Open in Montreal after a tough loss to American Amanda Anisimova. The match ended 6-2, 6-1 in favour of the fifth seed, who dominated from the start.
Raducanu had won both of their previous matches, but this time she struggled to keep up. She only held her serve once in each set and was unable to create any break points after the opening games.
Anisimova took control early, breaking Raducanu’s serve in the second game of the match. Although the Brit broke back straight away, that was the only bright moment in a disappointing performance. The American broke again to go 3-1 up and never looked back, wrapping up the first set comfortably.
The second set was even more one-sided. Raducanu won just eight points on her own serve and lost the first five games before Anisimova sealed the win.
It was a frustrating evening for Raducanu, who hit only five winners compared to 22 unforced errors. In contrast, Anisimova played with confidence, hitting 29 winners.
This win takes Anisimova into the last 16, where she will face either 10th seed Elina Svitolina or Anna Kalinskaya. The 22-year-old has now won 14 of her last 17 matches and remains unbeaten in 29 straight matches after winning the first set.
Raducanu will now take some time to recover before heading to the Cincinnati Open, where she is expected to be seeded and receive a first-round bye.
Elsewhere, Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek moved into the next round with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Germany’s Eva Lys. However, third seed Jessica Pegula was shocked by world No 386 Anastasija Sevastova, who came back to win 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.