Emma Raducanu’s Italian Open journey ended on Monday with a straight-sets loss to American fourth seed Coco Gauff, who cruised to a 6-1, 6-2 victory.
Playing in the last 16 of the tournament for the first time, Raducanu was outclassed by the Madrid Open finalist, who needed just one hour and 21 minutes to secure her spot in the quarter-finals at the Foro Italico.
With new coach Mark Petchey watching from the stands, the British No. 2 found it difficult to handle Gauff’s dominant forehand and dropped the opening set in just 40 minutes.
Raducanu had rallied from a set down to defeat Veronika Kudermetova in the previous round, but there was no repeat comeback under the Roman sun. Gauff broke for a 3-2 lead in the first set and maintained control from there, winning in convincing fashion to reach the last eight for the second consecutive year.
“Emma’s a tough opponent, so I’m really happy with how I played,” Gauff told Sky Sports. “I’m looking to bounce back here after Madrid. My forehand was a key weapon—it helped me create a lot of opportunities.”
