Emma Raducanu finally got a win on the board this season at the Hobart International, grinding out a tough victory over Australian wild card Camila Osorio in a match that tested everyone’s patience. Rain played a major role, halting play after Raducanu claimed the first set, and with the Brit initially trailing 4-2 in the second when action resumed. But the momentum didn’t last long.

The 23-year-old’s run in Hobart came to a sudden halt in the quarterfinals, where she was stunned by world No. 204 Taylah Preston.

The Australian put on a fearless display, beating the British No. 1 6-2, 6-4 to seal a statement win. It was a frustrating setback for Raducanu as she looks ahead to the Australian Open and searches for rhythm heading into the season’s first Grand Slam.

Against Emma Raducanu, Taylah Preston came out swinging, playing fearless, aggressive tennis and completely dictating the match.

She struck the ball cleanly, finishing with 21 winners compared to Raducanu’s nine. After the rain delay, with Preston up 2-1, the momentum clearly shifted. Raducanu began to leak forehand errors, was broken twice, and could only watch as Preston raced through two effortless love holds.

Raducanu steadied herself in the second set and started cutting down on the mistakes. She earned a break when Preston missed a routine forehand on break point.

Raducanu had a chance to go up 4-1 with a double break but couldn’t take it. Preston ripped a string of stunning winners to bring the set back to 3-3.

From there, the match hit its highest level, with both players trading breaks in some intense games. But serving at 4-5 to stay in it, Raducanu let a 40-0 lead slip away. A forehand miss handed Preston a match point, and the Australian finished it off confidently in front of her home crowd.

With this win, Preston now moves on to face either third seed Iva Jovic or eighth seed Magda Linette in the semifinals. For Emma Raducanu, though, the loss stung even more because it was only the second time she’s fallen to someone ranked outside the top 200.

Now, her upcoming tournament is even more important as she looks to prove herself at the top level again.

What’s next for Emma Raducanu?

Emma Raducanu is now heading to Melbourne for the Australian Open, knowing she’ll need to raise her level if she wants to put together a deep run. She opens against Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew, but a much bigger challenge could be waiting soon after. As the 28th seed, Raducanu is lined up for a possible third-round clash with two-time champion and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

She’s one of four British women in the draw. Sonay Kartal faces a tough opener against 31st seed Anna Kalinskaya, while Francesca Jones will meet Polish qualifier Linda Klimovicova in her first Grand Slam main draw as a direct entrant. Katie Boulter, who got into the draw after late withdrawals, has a big test right away against 10th seed Belinda Bencic, one of the hottest players in the field.

There are three British men in the draw as well. Cameron Norrie, the 26th seed, starts against Benjamin Bonzi and could run into Alexander Zverev in the third round. Jacob Fearnley will open his campaign against Kamil Majchrzak.

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