British player fades badly in first match of season
Billy Harris also loses to Tsitsipas in decisive tie
Great Britain fell to a bitter 2-0 loss in their decisive United Cup tie against Greece in the round-robin group stage as Emma Raducanu fought hard to overcome her injury-ravaged preparation for the new season before fading badly in her first match of the year, losing 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 against Maria Sakkari in her first match of the year.
Raducanu’s defeat had been preceded by a courageous performance from the British No 5 Billy Harris, Jack Draper’s injury replacement, who played one of the best matches of his career before falling 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4) to the former No 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas.
In what has become a common theme in Raducanu’s career, the 22-year-old entered the stadium surrounded by doubts about her form and preparation after Sunday’s revelation that she had been struggling with her foot injury throughout the off season. Before the match, the Great Britain captain Tim Henman described her prospects of competing against Greece as uncertain due to her lack of optimal preparation.
