Emma Raducanu is maintaining a positive outlook despite her early exit in Singapore, and she’s already focused on her next steps. The 22-year-old Brit was defeated by world No. 101 Cristina Bucsa in a thrilling three-set battle at the WTA 250 tournament, with a scoreline of 7-5, 5-7, 5-7. The match lasted a grueling three hours and three minutes, but there were notable moments for Raducanu, even though her struggle with her second serve, which won just 24% of points, ultimately proved to be a significant disadvantage.
Despite the setback, Raducanu is refusing to dwell on the loss and has already set her sights on a swift return to action. She has accepted a wildcard entry into the qualifying draw at the Abu Dhabi Open, which kicks off this Saturday. In a refreshing show of determination, Raducanu shared a post on Instagram featuring photos from her time in Singapore, with a simple but powerful four-word caption: “Keeping on keeping on.”
This tournament marked Raducanu’s first appearance since parting ways with her coach Nick Cavaday following her third-round exit at the Australian Open. Cavaday, who had worked with Raducanu in her early years and had resumed their partnership last season, helped guide her back into the top 100 after a difficult 2022. Now, as she takes the court with her fitness coach Yutaka Nakamura and her mom by her side, Raducanu is focused on the positives from her experience in Singapore.
Reflecting on the match against Bucsa, Raducanu said, “I have the positives from this week, coming here on my own with Yutaka and my mom, but I’m really proud of how I dealt with myself this week.” She acknowledged that despite the loss, the experience was valuable, especially considering that she felt it was early in the season. “For me to be playing this kind of match, all I need is time on court and a match-competitive situation, which I got today. I got it in abundance — over three hours of it,” Raducanu explained. “Every match I play, I feel like it’s a win.”
Raducanu emphasized her determination, saying, “I fought really hard. I gave everything. So I just got to keep building and moving on.” Reflecting on her performance, she added, “I think I’m in a pretty good place with everything and I think I actually played better than I did in Melbourne, so that is ironic.” She noted that the match was decided by small margins, and despite the loss, she was satisfied with how she played. “She just played unbelievable and, credit to her, she kept it up the whole match,” Raducanu concluded.
As she heads into the next phase of her season, Raducanu remains focused on her progress, ready to take on the challenges ahead with the same resilience and determination that have defined her career so far.