The British No 1 showed she is becoming a force to be reckoned with after running Aryna Sabalenka close
So soon after such a crushing defeat, Emma Raducanu was not quite ready to reflect on the positive aspects of her performance. Understandably, her eyes were red and still watering. Every thought she articulated was punctuated by a deep sigh. As she looked back to her tussle with Aryna Sabalenka on a Centre Court as loud as it has been for a decade, all the 22-year-old could think about were the opportunities she had squandered: “I think it’s better for me to feel a bit of the pain right now and then process it better that way,” she said.
There will be time in the coming days for Raducanu to reflect on the encouraging step forward she has taken. After being a punching bag for the elite players during her four years on the tour, the Briton did not merely play a relatively tight two-hour match with Sabalenka, she challenged the world No 1 to scale the high bar she had set in her 7-6 (4), 6-4 defeat.