Raducanu stumbles to defeat in Strasbourg in return from illness
Emma Raducanu played her first match in over two months on Tuesday, but could not make a winning return against Diane Parry in Strasbourg.
Emma Raducanu was defeated in straight sets by Diane Parry in the British number one's first match in over two months.
The 23-year-old made her first appearance on court since March 8, when she was defeated by Amanda Anisimova at Indian Wells, after battling a post-viral illness.
Raducanu was granted a wildcard in Strasbourg, the final tournament ahead of the French Open, but lost 6-4 7-6 (7-4) to home favourite Parry in the opening round.
Raducanu made a strong start to the contest, giving away just one point in her opening three service games before converting a break point to go 4-2 up in the first set.
However, Parry broke back immediately before repeating the trick in the ninth game as she took the first.
It was a similar story in the second, though this time Raducanu saved five break points before going 4-2 ahead.
There were five more breaks to come in the set, with three going in favour of Parry, who had the opportunity to serve for the match but was dragged into a tie-break by Raducanu.
The tie-break was evenly poised at 4-4 before Parry won three consecutive points to progress into the last 16, where she will face Shuai Zhang.
Data Debrief: Raducanu struggles with serve on her comeback
Raducanu made 65.5% of her first serves against Parry, who made 75.3% of such attempts, as the Briton struggled in France.
Despite serving five aces, Raducanu also committed nine double faults, while she saved 16 of a possible 21 break points.
There will be plenty of work to do for Raducanu ahead of next week's French Open, where she is likely to be unseeded.













