Emma Raducanu suffered another heartbreaking defeat after having match points against Jessica Pegula.
Raducanu had three match points against Barbora Krejcikova at the Korea Open, and it was an almost identical scenario in Beijing.
After beating Cristina Bucsa in her opening match, Raducanu took on seventh seed Pegula in a tricky second match at the China Open.
Pegula admitted she was lucky to beat Raducanu, but it appears that a concerning trend is starting to begin for the Briton.
Emma Raducanu should have a bigger concern than her failed match point opportunities
Raducanu played some fantastic tennis throughout the first two sets against Pegula, who herself was contributing to the high quality of the third round match at the China Open.
This enabled Raducanu to both win the first set and have three individual match point opportunities in a tense second set tie-break.
Very similarly to what happened against Krejcikova in Seoul, as many top players do, Pegula played unbelievably well when facing match point and it is hard to see how Raducanu can fault herself on those match points.
However, where Raducanu does need to improve is in her reaction to the disappointment of being unable to take match points.
After losing the second set tie-break, 11-9, Raducanu failed to win another game and lost the third set by a bagel scoreline (6-0).
This is similar to the match against Krejcikova at the Korea Open, where she lost the decider 6-2.
While it is completely understandable to feel deflated after being so close to winning the match, Raducanu’s belief appeared to completely dissipate in the third set and it almost felt as though she had accepted that the match was over.
A lot of credit does have to go to Pegula for maintaining her level, but Raducanu will be hoping that this does not become a trend for her matches now.
What is next for Emma Raducanu after China Open disappointment?
After Raducanu withdrew from Great Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup squad, she has won two matches and lost two from her appearances at the Korea Open and China Open.
The 2021 US Open champion is still scheduled to play multiple tournaments in Asia, as Raducanu continues her work with coach Francisco Roig.
All three of these upcoming events will be tournament debuts for Raducanu, starting for her at the Wuhan Open.
Unlike the China Open, Raducanu will not be seeded at the smaller WTA 1000 event in Wuhan and could face a very tough first round draw.
Raducanu has a busy few weeks coming up, as she has also received wildcards for two WTA 500 tournaments in Ningbo and Tokyo.
This appears to be all part of a conscious effort from Raducanu to ensure that she is seeded at the Australian Open next year.
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