Emma Raducanu narrowly sent packing by Aryna Sabalenka as revenge mission foiled

Emma Raducanu suffered a brutally close defeat at the Cincinnati Open in a grudge match with world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. The three-time Major winner beat the Brit in a tight third-round contest at Wimbledon just a few weeks ago, and Raducanu just failed to get revenge in Ohio. This time it was an even closer affair, going down to the wire as reigning champion Sabalenka came through 7-6(3) 4-6 7-6(5).

The world No. 39 was cheered on by a very vocal Francisco Roig, her new coach, who previously worked with Rafael Nadal. Their partnership has already proven successful, with Raducanu winning a set against Sabalenka for the first time before falling in the decider. It was still an admirable effort from the Brit, who survived a marathon 22-minute service game before missing out in a decisive tiebreak.

Sabalenka came from a break down in both sets to beat Raducanu 7-6(6) 6-4 at the All England Club last month, saving a barrage of set points in the opener. So when the Cincinnati draw was made, everyone circled their potential round three rematch - and it delivered.

It was advantage Raducanu early on, as the 22-year-old won the first nine points in a row and broke to lead 2-0. But the top seed came storming back and won four games in a row. Raducanu refused to go down without a fight, and helped by Roig's constant communication from the box, she got back on serve.

The Brit reeled off a third successive game to lead 5-4, saving two break points, and walked over to her new coach for a brief chat before heading to her bench for the changeover. But the umpire intervened, telling an apologetic Raducanu off.

"Emma, you cannot actively approach him, and he cannot leave his position. You know that. You cannot have a conversation," the official explained.

The first set went to a tiebreak, where Sabalenka raised her level and raced into a 6-1 lead as Raducanu struggled to win points on her serve. The three-time Major winner eventually took a tight opener 7-6(3) after 56 minutes on the court.

Following the same pattern as their Wimbledon match, Raducanu pounced first in the second set, attacking Sabalenka's serve and breaking to lead 4-3. But this time, she managed to hold onto it.

The pressure was on her shoulders as she stepped up to serve for a decider at 5-4, but she didn't blink and won her first-ever set against Sabalenka with an ace.

Both players left for a brief comfort break. Raducanu returned first, and while Sabalenka was still off the court, she was finally allowed to have a longer chat with her new coach, who told her she was the "better player".

That seemed to ring true when Raducanu brought up a break point opportunity in the third game of the decider, but she mishit the ball and sent it well long, and Sabalenka roared as she held to lead 2-1.

The world No. 39 continued to impose herself on Sabalenka's serve, but the top seed did just enough to keep herself ahead and avoid going down a break. Sabalenka finally raised her level midway through the second set, securing an easy hold to love, and the momentum switched.

Suddenly, it was Raducanu struggling on serve, and Sabalenka had her first break point since the first set. The Brit snuffed it out with an ace, but was still made to work. On the sixth deuce of the game, Raducanu grew tired of a baby that had been crying for the last few minutes and disturbing her serve, and asked the umpire to intervene.

But the marathon eighth game went on. Three more break points came and went for Sabalenka. Finally, after 13 deuces and 22 minutes, Raducanu survived and got out of the game, roaring and pumping her fist as she levelled the score at 4-4.

After three hours, everything came down to a tiebreak, with Raducanu successfully serving to stay in the match twice. Sabalenka hadn't lost a tiebreak since February, and she kept her streak alive.

They traded mini-breaks early on, but Sabalenka fired a backhand perfectly into the corner to give herself two match points, and she took the second to keep her Cincinnati title defence alive. There were no hard feelings between the two after their three-hour and nine-minute battle, and they smiled and embraced at the net after an incredible battle.

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