New York (AFP) – Indonesian qualifier Janice Tjen’s US Open campaign ground to a halt on Wednesday with a comprehensive second-round defeat to Britain’s Emma Raducanu. Tjen upset Russian 24th seed Veronika Kudermetova on Sunday after becoming the first Indonesian to play in the main singles draw of a Grand Slam since 2004.
But any hopes of a sustained giant-killing run at Flushing Meadows evaporated in a 6-2, 6-1 defeat to 2021 US Open champion Raducanu at the Louis Armstrong Stadium. Raducanu booked her place in the third round with a clinical performance, pulling Tjen all over the court with a succession of powerful deep groundstrokes into the corners.
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Raducanu established control from the outset, breaking Tjen in the second game of the first set and holding twice for a 3-0 lead. She broke Tjen again to take the first set, pinging a forehand into the corner as the 23-year-old from Jakarta scrambled unsuccessfully to return.
Tjen was soon under pressure in the second set, being broken twice in succession to fall 4-0 down. Raducanu then held for a 5-0 lead, before wrapping up victory by holding in the seventh game. Raducanu, who made history with her fairytale US Open triumph four years ago when she became the first qualifier ever to win a Grand Slam title, will face either ninth seed Elena Rybakina or Tereza Valentova in the third round.
© 2024 AFP
