After losing to Frenchwoman Alize Cornet in the opening round, Emma Raducanu’s attempt to defend her US Open championship came to a screeching halt.
At Flushing Meadows, Cornet mercilessly dumped Raducanu by defeating the British megastar 6-3, 6-3. As she enters a new chapter, Raducanu will find herself at No. 79 in the globe after falling out of the top 20.
Cornet, however, will be relieved to have won after making a humiliating error in the US Open’s first round in 2018. When Cornet exposed her top during a first-round match, she was given a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct.
During her match, Cornet took a 10-minute break for a 10-minute heat break before realising she had placed her top on reverse.
After realising her error, Cornet hurried to the back of the court where she removed her top, displaying a red and black sports bra, to properly re-attach it. The umpire swiftly issued her a code penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct nevertheless.
Cornet was unaware that, unlike males, female athletes are not permitted to remove their shirts while playing.
Following the incident, which sparked a sexism row, the USTA issued a statement saying it “regrets” that a code violation was given and Cornet would face no further punishment.
Cornet added: “I was surprised when I just changed T-shirt really quick and he gave me the code violation, I didn’t expect it, and I told him it was pretty weird. I think it’s very fair from them to apologise to me. I really appreciate it.”
