Emma Raducanu started to digest the brutal reality of another premature grand slam exit during that lonely walk to the net after succumbing to the supreme Coco Gauff.
Her second-round Australian Open defeat ensures a fifth successive grand slam departure at this stage or sooner since her stunning US Open triumph as an 18-year-old. And yet, when the Briton analyses this absorbing first-ever meeting between two of the game’s rising stars, there will be hope and genuine encouragement to build on.
