Emma Raducanu’s return to competitive tennis ended in disappointment as Maria Sakkari secured a 6-3 3-6 6-1 victory in the United Cup, extinguishing Great Britain’s hopes of progressing to the quarter-finals.
The British number one had been absent from the court for 83 days, having concluded her previous campaign early due to physical difficulties in China.
Light bone bruising on her right foot had also forced her withdrawal from an eagerly anticipated clash with Naomi Osaka just days earlier.
Tuesday’s encounter in Perth represented a must-win fixture for Britain, with victory required to secure their passage from Group E in the mixed team competition.
Emma Raducanu had not played a tennis match in nearly three months
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Raducanu made an ideal start by breaking Sakkari’s serve in the opening game, moving swiftly into a 2-0 advantage.
However, the Greek player seized control thereafter, claiming six of the subsequent seven games to take the first set.
The second set witnessed the Briton’s determination come to the fore, as she battled back from a break down to force a decider past 11pm local time.
Yet fatigue appeared to take its toll in the final set, with Raducanu’s movement visibly diminishing as Sakkari raced through the closing five games to secure her first victory over the former US Open champion.
Billy Harris similarly came agonisingly close to securing what would have been the most significant triumph of his career, ultimately succumbing 4-6 6-1 7-6 (7-4) to two-time Grand Slam finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Emma Raducanu suffered defeat against Maria Shakkari
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The British number five performed well above his ranking, reaching two points from victory at 6-5 in the deciding set before the former world number three recovered.
Tsitsipas acknowledged the quality of the contest, stating: “Billy put out an incredible performance, I haven’t played such a high-quality match in a long time. He did great to push me to my limit.”
The Greek added: “I got fed up of losing matches like that so I tried everything in my power not to let it happen again.”
Despite the defeat, there were encouraging signs for Raducanu as she moved freely and struck the ball with quality throughout much of the contest.
Speaking before the tournament, the 23-year-old had admitted to experiencing pre-season nerves, telling Sky Sports: “You do have it [butterflies] because also you don’t see the same faces for a while and then all of a sudden you’re seeing the same faces and you’re reminded of how it feels.”
She also addressed misconceptions about the demands of professional tennis, revealing that a recent team trip to Rottnest Island involved a gruelling schedule spanning gym sessions, training and treatment from 7am until 7pm.