Emma Raducanu missed out on what would have been her first WTA final in four years as she was defeated in straight sets by Anna Kalinskaya at the Washington Open.
The British No1 was aiming to make the final stage of a tournament for the first time since her extraordinary US Open triumph back in 2021, when she won the year’s final Grand Slam as an 18-year-old qualifier.
Raducanu has struggled signficantly with injuries since then, although she hit form at the perfect time in the US capital, reaching the last four with some statement victories.
She beat Marta Kostyuk, the seventh seed, in the opening round, before battling past former world No1 Naomi Osaka and Greek wildcard Maria Sakkari in her last 16 and quarter-final clashes.
However, Kalinskaya in the semis was just a step too far. Raducanu was handed a 6-4 6-3 defeat to end her superb run on the American acrylic.
The Briton conjured five aces in the early exchanges, but it was her return game that let her down, as she spurned all but one of her break-point opportunities.
Kalinskaya was ruthless when she needed to be, breaking in the ninth game of a close first set at the second time of asking, and then she fended off two break-back points as she served out the opener.
The pair traded breaks at the start of the second, but it was in the fifth game where Raducanu lost it, broken to 15 before she finally ceded as she attempted to serve to stay in the contest at 5-3.
Kalinskaya will face Leylah Fernandez, the Canadian, in the final. Fernandez was Raducanu’s opponent at the US Open final, with the Briton defeating her 6-4 6-3 on Arthur Ashe Stadium to clinch the title.
Raducanu’s next focus is on Montreal, where she faces Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the first round of the WTA 1000 event.
