"In a way the target will be off my back slightly" - Raducanu after US Open exit

The defending champion Emma Raducanu is out of the US Open after getting beaten by Alize Cornet in the first round.

Raducanu was adamant that she was not bothered by pressure or believed in defending titles as a concept leading up to the US Open and she certainly didn't play like it on the court. A lacklustre performance, one of many lately, saw Raducanu exit in the first round of the event.

Another poor loss means that she will drop significantly on the WTA Rankings, far outside of the top 50 which is again something that wasn't bothering her if it came to that. After the loss, she briefly commented:

"In a way the target will be off my back slightly. I just have another chance to claw my way back up there. I've been doing some really good work in the last six weeks especially. Just looking forward to kind of putting more of those weeks together consistently, then we'll see what happens."

In her own words, up next is:

"I think I'll play some 250s. I think the rest of the year is that. We'll see what the calendar holds."