Emma Raducanu was unable to make the most of a strong start as she was edged out in the second-round by Katerina Siniakova at the Miami Open.
The British number one is yet to win two matches at a tournament in 2022 and that run continues, as she was beaten 3-6 6-4 7-5 by the world number 53.
Raducanu made another fast start as Siniakova seemed to be struggling with the heat and humidity, calling the trainer after only five games. The 19-year-old sealed the first set with a forehand winner and then moved a break up at the start of the second.
But from 1-3 down, Siniakova rallied to take the second set and force a decider in Miami.
Raducanu looked to have turned the tide back in her favour when she moved 5-3 ahead and then served for the match. She battled back from 0-30 to make it 30-30, but Siniakova carved out a break point and took it to put the third set back on serve.
The momentum was then fully with the Czech and she saw out the rest of the match in relatively comfortable fashion to book her place in the next round, and leave Raducanu to reflect on another disappointing result.
While there was dejection for Raducanu, Heather Watson claimed her best victory by ranking for more than two years with a 4-6 6-3 7-6 (4) success against 20th-ranked Elina Svitolina.
It is a timely good run for Watson, who recently dropped out of the top 100, and sees her follow in the footsteps of her compatriot Harriet Dart after she also beat Svitolina in Indian Wells last week.
Watson told Amazon Prime Video: “I love this tournament. I’ve been coming here for so long. I just love it here, I feel like it’s home.
“I’m really happy that I’m coming back into form this year. I was just thinking at the end that my fitness got me through that match. I’m really glad I held my nerve and was able to get over the line.”
