Emma Raducanu's final preparations for the Australian Open ended in a major upset, as the British number one fell to Australian wildcard Taylah Preston in the quarter-finals of the Hobart International.
A Dismal Display in Disruptive Conditions
Entering the WTA 250 event as the top seed, Raducanu had hoped to build momentum ahead of the year's first Grand Slam. Instead, she produced a disjointed and error-strewn performance, succumbing 6-2, 6-4 to the 20-year-old local hope, who is ranked a lowly 204th in the world. The match was plagued by rain delays, with play halted for a significant period after just ten minutes on court.
Upon the restart, Raducanu's game failed to materialise. She sprayed a litany of unforced errors from the baseline, allowing the relatively passive Preston to control the rallies. The first set slipped away quickly, with the Briton looking thoroughly unsettled by both the conditions and her opponent's consistency.
Preston Seizes Her Moment
While Raducanu was below par, full credit must go to Taylah Preston for a composed and assertive display. The former top-10 junior showcased clean, powerful shot-making throughout. Even when Raducanu secured an early break in the second set, Preston trusted her aggressive instincts to immediately wrestle back control.
Facing minimal resistance in the crucial moments, the Australian closed out the match to secure the most significant victory of her nascent professional career. This result marks Raducanu's fourth-worst defeat by ranking since her breakthrough 2021 season.
A Daunting Australian Open Draw Awaits
Raducanu now heads to Melbourne Park needing a rapid improvement in form. She will begin her Australian Open campaign against Thailand's Mananchaya Sawangkaew. However, a far sterner test potentially looms in the third round, where she is projected to face world number one and two-time champion Aryna Sabalenka.
She is one of four British women in the main draw. Katie Boulter faces a tough opener against in-form 10th seed Belinda Bencic, Sonay Kartal meets 31st seed Anna Kalinskaya, and Francesca Jones plays Polish qualifier Linda Klimovicova.
In the men's event, three Britons will feature. Cameron Norrie, the 26th seed, faces Benjamin Bonzi, while Jacob Fearnley meets Kamil Majchrzak. They were joined on Thursday by 23-year-old qualifier Arthur Fery, who sealed his main-draw debut without dropping a set all week and will play 20th seed Flavio Cobolli.
