With her first-round loss at the US Open, Emma Raducanu’s Cinderella phase came to an end. Maybe that’s not a bad thing

NEW YORK—“I think ‘defending a title’ is just something that the press makes up,” Emma Raducanu said when she was asked if she felt any pressure now that she was back in New York, the sight of her stunning Grand Slam-title run from a year ago.

She’s not wrong. The “defending champion” is really just the previous year’s winner. They’re placed in the draw like everyone else, seeded by their current ranking, and they don’t get any special advantages or perks, other than a show-court assignment. If you’re a player, isn’t it more fun, and motivating, to try to win something a second time, rather than “defend” what you’ve already done?

But defending ranking points? That’s all too real. Every week, players have to match what they did 12 months earlier or see their spot in the standings fall. If you lose in the first round of a major that you won the previous year, you fall a lot. Raducanu earned 2,040 points with her Open title in 2021, which sent her soaring up 128 spots in the rankings. In all of the tournaments she has played since, she has won 675 points.

Which explains why at least one British paper dubbed her first-round match with Alizé Cornet on Tuesday a “rankings D-Day.” If she lost, she would drop from inside the Top 15 to outside the Top 80. That would mean no more direct entry to high-level events. It would mean wild cards and qualies. It would mean playing seeds in early rounds. The moment of truth for Raducanu was here.

How did the 19-year-old do on her personal Omaha Beach, against the world No. 40 (one of the best unseeded players in the tournament)? Instead of storming the court, Raducanu lost 6-3, 6-3. The crowd in Louis Armstrong Stadium was behind her all the way; New York likes its stars. And she had her moments. Despite a strong breeze, she and Cornet had some entertaining backhand exchanges, and she broke serve often enough to make it a match.

But Raducanu only held twice in her nine service games. She made 31 unforced errors and hit 15 winners. She made just 53 percent of her first serves. She won just 30 percent of points on her second serve. She looked tight on some shots, jumped at others, and let the ball get too close to her. She missed a volley that would have given her a break early in the second set, and failed to come to net to close out another important point in the final game. She had a blister, too. Ultimately, she was beaten by an opponent with a cleaner and more complete game. Cornet could have won more decisively if she hadn’t double faulted nine times.

“The way that the conditions were, it was quite difficult because the ball was moving around for me to really swing,” Raducanu said. “Alizé’s defense was pretty good. Like, I thought she was just scrapping everything back.”

The hunter of 2021 was the hunted of 2022. Last year, Raducanu, who won 10 matches in Flushing Meadows without dropping a set, constructed and executed rallies with an easy poise. This year, she seemed unsure about when and how to attack. Her deficiencies showed, and she knew it.

“Maybe in the future I can look to improve my net game to play players like that,” she said. “It’s something I haven’t done much of, so not really going to try it out in a match.”

Raducanu put on a brave face afterward, but also admitted that the loss will sting.

“This one obviously hurts a bit because it’s my favorite tournament and obviously like a lot of emotions in the past year,” Raducanu said. “Yeah, I mean, I’m proud for putting myself out there every match, every day. Like I know I’m pushing myself to be the best I can. There’s not much I can do.”

The Cinderella phase of Raducanu’s is over. Her ranking won’t be inflated anymore, and she won’t, as she said, have as big a “target on my back.”

“In a way [I’m] happy because it’s a clean slate,” she said. “I’m going to drop down the rankings. Climb my way back up. Yeah, I just have another chance to claw my way back up there.”

Life in the 70s and 80s in the rankings will be harder. But it will also be more realistic. Raducanu, who has been set back by injuries this year, has work to do on her game. Knowing she has to improve just to be able to compete in WTA events should be motivating. Tennis players need ranking points to play the matches they want to play and make the money they want to make; now she has no choice but to earn them each week.

Raducanu knows where she stands now. She also knows that it’s in her to stand some place much better.