Emma Raducanu outclassed by Coco Gauff but ‘heading in right direction’ ahead of French Open

Emma Raducanu was taught a lesson on clay as Coco Gauff underlined her quality on clay with a dominant straight-sets win to reach the Italian Open quarter-finals.

The World No 3 raced to a 6-1 6-2 win over Raducanu, requiring just 79 minutes to progress to the Rome quarters for the third time as the American continues to build form ahead of the start of the French Open. After reaching the final of the Madrid Open, Gauff has won eight of her last nine matches, with her only defeat coming to World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

Raducanu had won three matches in a row to reach the last-16 in Rome for the first time - beating qualifier Maya Joint, lucky loser Jil Teichmann and Veronika Kudermetova - but former French Open finalist Gauff represented a step up in class and displayed her impressive court-coverage and aggressive shot-making on the surface.

Gauff graded her own performance as an ‘A’ afterwards as the 21-year-old won 76 per cent of her first-serve points while saving all three break points she faced. Raducanu was unable to make an impression on the returns, with blustery winds and a heavy court making conditions difficult for both players in the meeting of former US Open champions.

“It was tough,” Gauff said. “Super windy and this court is super dry compared to the other ones. Emma's a tough opponent no matter what surface, she's tough to play so I'm really happy with how I played. I'm getting better every match and Madrid was a step in the right direction. Obviously I got to the final and I don't like losing, so I'm hoping to redeem myself here."

Raducanu has shown progress on clay this week but there is clearly more work to do ahead of return to the French Open later this month. The 22-year-old missed Roland Garros after undergoing wrist and ankle surgeries in 2023 before opting to skip the grand slam last year in order to prepare for Wimbledon and the grass-court season.

Although Raducanu will be unseeded, she should be more confident ahead of the French Open and, despite the heavy defeat to Gauff, Tim Henman said he believes the Briton is “heading in the right direction”

“It wasn’t the result or the performance she wanted today but I think Gauff had a lot to say about that,” Henman said on Sky Sports. “Raducanu didn’t have the opportunity to dictate because Gauff was hitting so aggressively from the back of the court.

“Raducanu’s clay-court season so far has been very positive. The clay courts at Roland Garros are the truest, they are the courts where you can take it early. I think that will suit her more.”