Emma Raducanu suffered a first-round exit at the Miami Open after losing to Bianca Andreescu in a battle of former US Open champions.
Britain’s Raducanu, who won the US Open in 2021, was beaten 6-3 3-6 6-2 by 2019 Flushing Meadows champion Andreescu, with the Canadian now advancing to play seventh seed Maria Sakkari in round two.
Raducanu won three matches at Indian Wells last week before falling to world No 1 Iga Swiatek in the round of 16 in what was her first tournament since a second-round exit at the Australian Open in January.
Meanwhile, Swiatek, the defending champion in Miami after beating Naomi Osaka in last year’s final, has withdrawn due to a rib injury that she sustained during her win at the Qatar Total Open last month.
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The 21-year-old, who was due to play American Claire Liu in the last 64 on Thursday after receiving a first-round bye, is planning on taking a break and will also miss the Billie Jean King Cup in April.
Swiatek wrote on social media: “In and after Doha I was struggling with a strong infection. I was allowed to play, but a strong episode of tough cough led to a rib injury.
“Unfortunately, I’m still feeling a lot of discomfort and pain and I can’t compete.”
