Emma Raducanu loses on return to WTA Tour

Emma Raducanu suffered a narrow first-round defeat in Strasbourg as she returned to action after more than two months away from the WTA Tour. The British number one had been recovering from a post-viral illness and had not played since a third-round defeat by Amanda Anisimova at Indian Wells in March. Granted a wildcard for the WTA 500 event in Strasbourg, her return did not go to plan as she fell to a 6-4 7-6 (7-4) defeat by French player Diane Parry.

This defeat meant Raducanu played just one match on clay before the French Open, the second Grand Slam event of the year, which starts on Sunday. After a 10-week absence from the Tour, Raducanu slipped from 23rd to 37th in the world rankings and will not be seeded at Roland Garros.

In her first match since reuniting with coach Andrew Richardson—who had guided her to the US Open title as a teenage qualifier—Raducanu got off to a strong start in France, delivering powerful backhand winners and breaking for a 4-2 lead. However, double faults crept into her game, allowing Parry to come back and take control of the first set.

In the second set, Raducanu saved five break points to prevent Parry from pulling ahead early but fell behind after briefly regaining her rhythm. Despite forcing a tie-break after stopping Parry from serving out the match on two occasions, Raducanu could not secure the win. Parry, regaining her composure, closed out the match after two hours and 26 minutes.

While the loss limits Raducanu's preparation for the French Open, she showed resilience in fending off 16 break points and challenging Parry until the end. Parry will face China's Zhang Shuai in the second round after Zhang defeated Cristina Bucsa of Spain 2-6 7-6 (9-7) 7-5.