Emma Raducanu marked her return to tennis in 2022 with a heavy defeat to Elena Rybakina at the Sydney International on Tuesday night.
The 19-year-old Brit had no answer to her opponent, falling 6-0, 6-1 in a contest that only lasted 55 minutes.
Despite the lopsided result, Raducanu was optimistic after the match, blaming her performance level on a recent COVID-19 diagnosis.
The reigning US Open champion contracted coronavirus in December and consequently pulled out of an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi.
She also opted out of last week's Melbourne Summer Set tournament as she continued to recover from the virus.
Raducanu made headlines in September when she became the first qualifier to win a grand slam title after she took out the US Open.
Emma Raducanu finally avoids a double bagel. Phew.#SydneyTennis pic.twitter.com/3uiAu7PO6L
— Tennis GIFs 🎾🎥 (@tennis_gifs) January 11, 2022
Her loss to Rybakina is far from an ideal start to her Australian Open preparations, less than a week out from the tournament.
Rybakina - who finished runner up to Australian Ash Barty at last week’s Adelaide International - was dominant, putting her height advantage to great use.
The 22-year-old Kazakh converted five of the 10 break points presented to her by Raducanu and did not face a single break point herself.
Her victory was also made easier by the young Brit's six double faults across the two sets.
Speaking after the match, Raducanu was disappointed by the result, but not overly surprised.
“I felt pretty comfortable and welcome out there on court … but I didn’t play tennis for 21 days and to come out and play Rybakina straight up, I mean, it’s tough,” Raducanu said.
“But it’s good because I’m very proud and happy that I put myself out there.
“I could have easily said, ‘It’s too soon’ and just play next week, but I wanted to really test where I’m at and give myself some competitive points and matches."
When asked about her fitness ahead of the upcoming Australian Open, she was unsure whether she will be at 100%, but was confident she is heading in the right direction.
“I think that I will brush this off, because for me ... just getting out there, playing points ... yesterday was pretty much my second time playing competitive points for two months, even in practice," Raducanu said.
“I think this will help in putting me in a better place for next week.
“I didn’t go into full training straightaway, because that’s probably the easiest way to get injured.
"I can't really say [if I will be ready for the Open] because the points weren't that extended today.
“It’s just me being a step slow, a step behind.
"She [Rybakina] was sharper and more match-ready than I was."
The Australian Open 2022 will be played between January 17-30 at Melbourne Park in Victoria.
