- Raducanu took the 24th seeded Marta Kostyuk with three sets but could not overturn it
- Kartal and Boulter were both victims of complete dubbings in the capital
- Saturday will see the three British men remaining try to continue their trip
After a promising start to the week, British women were brought back to the crushed red earth in Madrid.
The victories in the first round for Katie Boulter, Sonay Kartal and Emma Raducanu had made six British in the second round – a rarity indeed on clay.
But once these three women met an opposition to the top of the series, all were beaten; Boulter defeated 6-1, 6-2 by the finalist of the French open Jasmine Paolini and Sonay Kartal descending 6-3, 6-1 at the head of 17 Elina Svitolina.
Raducanu had the simplest draw on paper and feel that she could have beat Marta Kostyuk, the 24th seeded.
The Ukrainian served appallingly – nine double defects and only 51% for the first time – and received treatment for a wrist problem after winning the first set. Raducanu started the decision maker in the ascendant but faded, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2.
These two – The two 22 – met for the first time at the 12th anniversary, Raducanu winning his first meeting in 2014. Each of their two professional meetings was unilateral – a 6-2 victory, 6-1 for Kostyuk in Cluj in 2021, a victory of the same score line for Raducanu in Madrid the following year.
It was always closer and it turned out. Kostyuk was superb in the opening set, saying that real estate near the baseline and forcing Raducanu.
Emma Raducanu failed to progress beyond the second round of the Madrid Open after her defeat against Marta Kostyuk
The former British No1 fought in the second set and achieved a positive performance despite the result
Kostyuk fought with problems with wrist injury and service, but claimed a place in the third round
But the 22 -year -old is a striated player and at the end of the first set, she received treatment on her right wrist. There had been no signs of discomfort when she struck the winners, so maybe the pinch occurred in the last points of the set.
While Kostyuk’s wrist and arm were manipulated by the physio, Raducanu took advantage of it for a long conversation with coach Mark Petchey.
What could he have told him? Admittedly, to push further towards the reference base and play with more affirmation. Perhaps to target the Kostyuk forehand to test this right wrist.
The Ukrainian certainly looked more hesitant after medical dead time and Raducanu opened his shoulders more on the forehand, overshadowing his total of four winners in the five games of the second set.
The second Kostyuk service, a perennial weakness, began to flee the double defects and two consequences gave Raducanu one of the three ruptures in the second set.
With the bullets in hand, it was time for Raducanu to drop the hammer at the start of the decision maker against a vulnerable opponent. Instead, she played her worst match of the match with a double fault and some errors offering a break.
The decisive whole was a fight of classic clay dogs with abundant serving breaks. It is Kostyuk’s greatest comfort on the surface and a higher level of aggression that made the difference.
It was a British towel because Sonay Kartal could not win a 17th seeded Elina Svitolina
Katie Boulter was beaten by the finalist of the French Open from last year, the Jasmine Paolini of Italy
The Raducanu game is always a work in progress on this surface – this is the first season of Clay Court to which it played. She will go to Rome and from there to Paris, as well as coach Petchey will continue his attempts to become a real threat.
Saturday in Madrid, it is the turn of the British men, with Cam Norrie against Jiri Lehecka, Jacob Fearnley facing Tomas Machac and Jack Draper playing Tallon Griekspoor.
