Hampered Raducanu Suffers Defeat by Kovinic in Australian Open

Britain's Emma Raducanu reacts during her second round match against Montenegro's Danka Kovinic at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, on Jan. 20, 2022. Loren Elliott/Reuters

MELBOURNE—British teenage tennis star Emma Raducanu was unable to find the solution to her latest Grand Slam puzzle on Thursday, as a combination of a blistered racket hand and an inspired Danka Kovinic derailed her Australian Open plans in the second round.

The 17th seed, who rocketed to fame by winning last year’s U.S. Open as a qualifier without losing a set, gritted her teeth through the discomfort to stay in contention in a tense clash but fell to a 6–4 4–6 6–3 defeat.