U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu was bundled out of the French Open in the second round on Wednesday, losing 3-6 6-1 6-1 to inspired Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich. The 12th seeded Briton, who had to dig deep in her opening match to come from a set down to beat Czech qualifier Linda Noskova, was initially surprised by world number 47 Sasnovich`s attacking power.

Sasnovich was hitting the ball early, moving the Briton across the court before 19-year-old Raducanu responded in kind with some aggressive hitting. After dragging her opponent wide of the court she earned a key break to lead 4-2 and bagged the opening set when she fired a superb cross court winner. Undaunted, Sasnovich raised her game in the second set to race into a 4-0 lead.

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The Belarusian, who had never gone past the second round in Paris, bagged the second with yet another break and then fought off multiple break points early in the deciding set before breaking for 3-1 when Raducanu sent a wild forehand five metres over the baseline.

Raducanu, who only played on clay professionally for the first time last month and had been struggling with a back injury in recent weeks, could do nothing to turn the tide. A dominant Sasnovich put her out of her misery with a sizzling backhand down the line on her first match point after two hours.

U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu was bundled out of the French Open in the second round on Wednesday, losing 3-6 6-1 6-1 to inspired Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich.

U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu was bundled out of the French Open in the second round on Wednesday, losing 3-6 6-1 6-1 to inspired Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich. The 12th seeded Briton, who had to dig deep in her opening match to come from a set down to beat Czech qualifier Linda Noskova, was initially surprised by world number 47 Sasnovich`s attacking power. Sasnovich was hitting the ball early, moving the Briton across the court before 19-year-old Raducanu responded in kind with some aggressive hitting. After dragging her opponent wide of the court she earned a key break to lead 4-2 and bagged the opening set when she fired a superb cross court winner. Undaunted, Sasnovich raised her game in the second set to race into a 4-0 lead. ALSO READ | French Open: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga bids tearful farewell to 18-year-long career after first-round exit The Belarusian, who had never gone past the second round in Paris, bagged the second with yet another break and then fought off multiple break points early in the deciding set before breaking for 3-1 when Raducanu sent a wild forehand five metres over the baseline. Raducanu, who only played on clay professionally for the first time last month and had been struggling with a back injury in recent weeks, could do nothing to turn the tide. A dominant Sasnovich put her out of her misery with a sizzling backhand down the line on her first match point after two hours.

Emma Raducanu's French Open campaign cut-short after loss to Aliaksandra Sasnovich

She hasn't hit the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/wimbledon-novak-djokovic-sweeps-through-under-keen-gaze-of-ivanisevic-232118">Wimbledon </a>lawns with the same swagger of recent years, but a more chilled Simona Halep still had plenty enough firepower on Monday to sweep past Aliaksandra Sasnovich into the second round 6-4, 7-5.

Not even an awkward fall mid-match could derail her on Court One as the Romanian seventh seed punched through Sasnovich in a match which, although not incident free, lacked any real drama.

In a spell where she seems to be prioritising a healthy perspective over ranking positions, Halep is seeded outside the top five at a grand slam for the first time in three years.

The former world number one suffered a blip in the second set when she started nudging the ball cautiously about the court rather than striking it with confidence. She ended up trailing 5-2, but in the event had too much pedigree for her Belarusian opponent.

"I didn't miss that much and I tried to be more aggressive to hit the ball," she said. "At one point I started to push the ball, and she could play her game. She plays well when she goes for it."

Sasnovich, conqueror of Petra Kvitova in the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/second-seed-naomi-osaka-crashes-out-in-first-round-of-wimbledon-232123">Wimbledon </a>first round last year, did play well in patches and showed a little of what can make her dangerous. But she rarely threatened to bother Halep unduly, and Halep advanced, albeit with a sore knee and Achilles to add to her worries in southwest London.

"It's okay in this moment. But I need to do the treatment," she said of her injury scare. "I feel a little bit (sore). I think it's a little bit stretched, the muscle behind the knee, and also the Achilles. Hopefully, it is nothing dangerous and I can recover until the next match," she said.

"IT'S A CHILL YEAR"

Halep has measured expectations here. "Well, I said this year it's a chill year and I'm not putting pressure on myself," she said. "So I'm not analysing that much,'' Halep said.

"I just want to go on court and to see how good I can be this year. Next year maybe I will push a little bit more. Now I feel happy on court, I feel good. I just try to win every match I play. Nothing else on my mind."

This time last year she entered the tournament ranked number one in the world. Her ranking has slipped since, as she has focused on "normal" things. "Off-court things," she smiled. "I'm going out with friends, spending time with my family more, going out more."

That appetite for a more normal life may pay dividends down the track. "When I lose a match now, I'm not making a disaster of it," she said.

"I'm still motivated. I'm still ambitious. But, you know, I don't say, 'Okay, I'm here and I have to do this ...', I'm taking things easier.''

"I feel much better. I feel more relaxed. I try just to improve in other ways, not only on tennis way.''

"Back then it was a little bit of more pressure. Now I don't expect big things from myself, this period. I just try to improve in my attitude, in my game, as well. I'm not that stressed that I have to win every match I play. I see things a little bit differently."

She will face Mihaela Buzarnescu, 31, in an all-Romanian second round tie.

She hasn't hit the Wimbledon lawns with the same swagger of recent years, but a more chilled Simona Halep still had plenty enough firepower on Monday to sweep past Aliaksandra Sasnovich into the second round 6-4, 7-5.

She hasn't hit the Wimbledon lawns with the same swagger of recent years, but a more chilled Simona Halep still had plenty enough firepower on Monday to sweep past Aliaksandra Sasnovich into the second round 6-4, 7-5. Not even an awkward fall mid-match could derail her on Court One as the Romanian seventh seed punched through Sasnovich in a match which, although not incident free, lacked any real drama. In a spell where she seems to be prioritising a healthy perspective over ranking positions, Halep is seeded outside the top five at a grand slam for the first time in three years. The former world number one suffered a blip in the second set when she started nudging the ball cautiously about the court rather than striking it with confidence. She ended up trailing 5-2, but in the event had too much pedigree for her Belarusian opponent. "I didn't miss that much and I tried to be more aggressive to hit the ball," she said. "At one point I started to push the ball, and she could play her game. She plays well when she goes for it." Sasnovich, conqueror of Petra Kvitova in the Wimbledon first round last year, did play well in patches and showed a little of what can make her dangerous. But she rarely threatened to bother Halep unduly, and Halep advanced, albeit with a sore knee and Achilles to add to her worries in southwest London. "It's okay in this moment. But I need to do the treatment," she said of her injury scare. "I feel a little bit (sore). I think it's a little bit stretched, the muscle behind the knee, and also the Achilles. Hopefully, it is nothing dangerous and I can recover until the next match," she said. "IT'S A CHILL YEAR" Halep has measured expectations here. "Well, I said this year it's a chill year and I'm not putting pressure on myself," she said. "So I'm not analysing that much,'' Halep said. "I just want to go on court and to see how good I can be this year. Next year maybe I will push a little bit more. Now I feel happy on court, I feel good. I just try to win every match I play. Nothing else on my mind." This time last year she entered the tournament ranked number one in the world. Her ranking has slipped since, as she has focused on "normal" things. "Off-court things," she smiled. "I'm going out with friends, spending time with my family more, going out more." That appetite for a more normal life may pay dividends down the track. "When I lose a match now, I'm not making a disaster of it," she said. "I'm still motivated. I'm still ambitious. But, you know, I don't say, 'Okay, I'm here and I have to do this ...', I'm taking things easier.'' "I feel much better. I feel more relaxed. I try just to improve in other ways, not only on tennis way.'' "Back then it was a little bit of more pressure. Now I don't expect big things from myself, this period. I just try to improve in my attitude, in my game, as well. I'm not that stressed that I have to win every match I play. I see things a little bit differently." She will face Mihaela Buzarnescu, 31, in an all-Romanian second round tie.

Wimbledon: 'It's a chill year', says Simona Halep as she sweeps past Sasnovich

Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic on Thursday defeated defending champion Angelique Kerber 6-4 6-1 to book a spot in the semi-final of the Sydney International.

Kvitova struggled to get going due to wet conditions at Ken Rosewall Arena, but took the final four games of the opening set, hitting 16 winners in the process.

"It was the worth the wait to get back on court," Kvitova said.

"In the second time (off court) we played some games, some cards. I had a sandwich, I was listening to music and I was waiting (for) when the rain stopped."

Fifth seed Kvitova will next face Belarusian qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the semi-finals.

Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic on Thursday defeated defending champion Angelique Kerber 6-4 6-1 to book a spot in the semi-final of the Sydney International. Kvitova struggled to get going due to wet conditions at Ken Rosewall Arena, but took the final four games of the opening set, hitting 16 winners in the process.

Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic on Thursday defeated defending champion Angelique Kerber 6-4 6-1 to book a spot in the semi-final of the Sydney International. Kvitova struggled to get going due to wet conditions at Ken Rosewall Arena, but took the final four games of the opening set, hitting 16 winners in the process. "It was the worth the wait to get back on court," Kvitova said. "In the second time (off court) we played some games, some cards. I had a sandwich, I was listening to music and I was waiting (for) when the rain stopped." Fifth seed Kvitova will next face Belarusian qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the semi-finals.

Petra Kvitova topples defending champion Kerber to reach Sydney semi-final

Ukraine&#39;s Elina Svitolina laid down her marker as a serious contender for the Australia Open when she demolished Belarusian qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-2, 6-1 in the Brisbane International final on Saturday.

Svitolina won five titles on the WTA tour last year, more than any other woman.

She ended the year ranked sixth in the world, but will climb two places when the new rankings are released on Monday and will go into the year&#39;s first Grand Slam as the fourth seed.

Svitolina said she had worked hard in the offseason to improve her game and that work was now paying off.

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A special moment: Evonne Goolagong Cawley presents <a href="https://twitter.com/ElinaSvitolina?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ElinaSvitolina</a> with the Evonne Goolagong Cawley trophy ??<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BrisbaneTENnis?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BrisbaneTENnis</a> <a href="https://t.co/YLix8Mypoc">pic.twitter.com/YLix8Mypoc</a>
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&quot;I&#39;ve started to play more consistently and there are lots of things that changed,&quot; she said.

&quot;I&#39;m stronger physically. I have a different look at my game.&quot;

The 23-year-old had a tough path to the decider, having to overcome top-10 players Johanna Konta and Karolina Pliskova and former world number six Carla Suarez Navarro along the way.

&quot;I didn&#39;t have any expectations for this week -- I was just trying to take it one match at a time,&quot; she said.

&quot;The first match was quite tough against Suarez Navarro. And I had a very tough draw.

&quot;It was very important to use what I was working on during the offseason, and it was working.&nbsp;

&quot;I was playing better and better and my serve worked really good during this week.&quot;

Svitolina was far too strong for Sasnovich, who struggled to cope both with the Ukrainian&#39;s serve and her relentless barrage of groundstrokes from the back of the court.

Sasnovich was playing in her first final on the WTA tour and her nerves showed in the early stages as Svitolina broke her early and raced away to a 3-1 lead.

The Belarusian steadied the ship but she was always under pressure and serving at 2-5, she cracked.

Svitolina pounced, breaking her again and wrapping up the set in 31 minutes.

Sasnovich was also playing her eighth match in nine days and her movement around the court appeared slightly slower than in her previous outings.

Svitolina was even more dominant in the second set, racing to a 5-0 lead before Sasnovich even got on the board.

However, it was a minor reprieve as Svitolina held serve to love to claim her 10th title in just 65 minutes.

Sasnovich refused to blame her busy schedule for her performance.

&quot;I don&#39;t know why it&#39;s like this, why I played so bad,&quot; she said.

&quot;I don&#39;t know, to be honest. Sometimes it happens. I played some good matches and this one was bad.&quot;

But the Belarusian, who will rise 35 places in the world ranking to 53rd, said her efforts in making the final had made her reevaluate her goals for Melbourne.

&quot;I have time to prepare for Australia Open,&quot; she said.

&quot;I hope to be ready mentally, physically, to be good there.&quot;

&nbsp;

Svitolina crushes Aliaksandra Sasnovich in Brisbane final in straight sets 6-2, 6-1

Ukraine's Elina Svitolina laid down her marker as a serious contender for the Australia Open when she demolished Belarusian qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-2, 6-1 in the Brisbane International final on Saturday. Svitolina won five titles on the WTA tour last year, more than any other woman. She ended the year ranked sixth in the world, but will climb two places when the new rankings are released on Monday and will go into the year's first Grand Slam as the fourth seed. Svitolina said she had worked hard in the offseason to improve her game and that work was now paying off. A special moment: Evonne Goolagong Cawley presents @ElinaSvitolina with the Evonne Goolagong Cawley trophy ??#BrisbaneTENnis pic.twitter.com/YLix8Mypoc — #BrisbaneTennis (@BrisbaneTennis) January 6, 2018 × "I've started to play more consistently and there are lots of things that changed," she said. "I'm stronger physically. I have a different look at my game." The 23-year-old had a tough path to the decider, having to overcome top-10 players Johanna Konta and Karolina Pliskova and former world number six Carla Suarez Navarro along the way. "I didn't have any expectations for this week -- I was just trying to take it one match at a time," she said. "The first match was quite tough against Suarez Navarro. And I had a very tough draw. "It was very important to use what I was working on during the offseason, and it was working. "I was playing better and better and my serve worked really good during this week." Svitolina was far too strong for Sasnovich, who struggled to cope both with the Ukrainian's serve and her relentless barrage of groundstrokes from the back of the court. Sasnovich was playing in her first final on the WTA tour and her nerves showed in the early stages as Svitolina broke her early and raced away to a 3-1 lead. The Belarusian steadied the ship but she was always under pressure and serving at 2-5, she cracked. Svitolina pounced, breaking her again and wrapping up the set in 31 minutes. Sasnovich was also playing her eighth match in nine days and her movement around the court appeared slightly slower than in her previous outings. Svitolina was even more dominant in the second set, racing to a 5-0 lead before Sasnovich even got on the board. However, it was a minor reprieve as Svitolina held serve to love to claim her 10th title in just 65 minutes. Sasnovich refused to blame her busy schedule for her performance. "I don't know why it's like this, why I played so bad," she said. "I don't know, to be honest. Sometimes it happens. I played some good matches and this one was bad." But the Belarusian, who will rise 35 places in the world ranking to 53rd, said her efforts in making the final had made her reevaluate her goals for Melbourne. "I have time to prepare for Australia Open," she said. "I hope to be ready mentally, physically, to be good there."

Tennis: Elina Svitolina clinches Brisbane title