THE CHAMP IS OUT! Emma Raducanu bites the dust in the second round of the 2022 Australian Open, Danka Kovinic creates history


THE CHAMP IS OUT! Emma Raducanu bites the dust in the second round of the 2022 Australian Open, Danka Kovinic creates history

Emma Raducanu and Danka Kovinic

In a dramatic second round match, Danka Kovinic defeats US Open champion Emma Raducanu and becomes the first Montenegrin to reach the third round of a major. She defeated the Brit in three sets 6-4,4-6,6-3 on Margaret Court Arena.

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Emma started well in the first set and was on song on her serve. She was hitting the ball hard and and moving well until a minor injury ruined her match. She got bad blisters on her write hand and had to get a long medical timeout. She was aided by the medical team but wasn’t able to hit the ball hard.

She switched to hitting slices on every second ball and wasn’t able to hit the ball hard with top spin. Kovinic got the decisive break and took the first set off the US Open champion 6-4.

The Brit once again took a prolonged medical timeout and got her bandages changed. She struggled a lot and was slicing the ball as hard as possible. She mixed her game with a lot of slices and drop shots which worked well for her. Kovinic too fought hard but Emma’s drop shots caught her by surprise. The Brit, with a smile on her face, got the decisive break and ran away with the set 6-4 to force a decider.

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But the blisters seemed too much for Emma as she struggled to generate any top spin from her forehands. She began struggling with serve too and eventually got broken mid way in the set. Despite all the heart she showed, Kovinic was not letting this opportunity slip away and created history by winning the set 6-4.

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Also read: HEARTBREAK! Qualifier Taro Daniel knocks Andy Murray out of the 2022 Australian Open