Emma Raducanu`s Wimbledon hopes were crushed on Centre Court by France`s Caroline Garcia as the golden girl of British sport suffered a 6-3 6-3 second-round loss on Wednesday. The 19-year-old, who rocketed to fame with her spellbinding U.S. Open triumph last year, did not play badly but had no answer to Garcia`s superior firepower. Garcia, a former top-10 player with three grasscourt titles on her CV, dominated the opening set as her aggressive return game and heavy serving unsettled the 10th-seeded Raducanu.
She continued blazing away in the second set as Raducanu, despite partisan support, fell away.
Game, set and match - @CaroGarcia!
The Frenchwoman proves too strong for Emma Raducanu, winning 6-3, 6-3 #Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 pic.twitter.com/2fIL3GjSFi
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 29, 2022
Raducanu gave her fans hope of a comeback when she broke Garcia to level the set at 3-3, but she dropped serve immediately to hand the advantage back.
Garcia coolly held for 5-3 and broke the Briton again to claim an impressive victory, finishing it off with a crosscourt backhand, her 25th winner of the match.
Raducanu`s preparation for her second Wimbledon, after last year`s fairytale ride to the fourth round, had not been ideal as she struggled with a side strain that limited her court time.
Her opening win over tricky Belgian Alison Van Uytvanck had raised expectations, but Garcia, a far more dangerous opponent, offered a stark reality check.
"I was preparing for this match really well," Garcia said of her first appearance on Centre Court.
"Emma is a huge player and in her home tournament and she proved she can do very well on the big stage. It`s fair that they support Emma and of course it a great memory for me and as always it is a lot of respect."
Other key results:
MUGURUZA CRASHES OUT
Former champion Garbine Muguruza became the latest high-profile player to exit the women`s draw after she was knocked out by unseeded Greet Minnen 6-4 6-0.
OSTAPENKO EASES PAST WICKMAYER
Former French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko made light work of Belgian Yanina Wickmayer, sailing into the third round 6-2 6-2.
DJOKOVIC MOVES INTO THIRD ROUND
Top seed Novak Djokovic sailed into the third round with a 6-1 6-4 6-2 victory over Australia`s Thanasi Kokkinakis.
THIRD SEED RUUD KNOCKED OUT
France`s Ugo Humbert upset Norwegian third seed Casper Ruud 3-6 6-2 7-5 6-4 in the second round.
