Emma Raducanu will head into her US Open title defence relieved she is swinging freely again and back playing the brand of attacking tennis that took her to her fairytale win at Flushing Meadows last year.
Her dominant form at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati ended as she lost 7-5 6-4 to Jessica Pegula, who proved a sharp step up in class for the 19-year-old British No1 after she trounced former world No1s Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka in the space of less than 16 hours.
