Eastbourne International: Emma Raducanu misses out on semi-finals after defeat to Daria Kasatkina

Emma Raducanu loses Eastbourne International quarter-final to Daria Kasatkina 6-2 6-2 on Thursday; fellow Britons Katie Boulter and Harriet Dart also lose quarters to Jasmine Paolini and Leylah Fernandez respectively; 15-year-old British schoolgirl Hannah Klugman misses out on Wimbledon

Britain’s Emma Raducanu has missed out on a place in the Eastbourne International semi-finals, going down 6-2 6-2 to Daria Kasatkina on Thursday.

Russian Kasatkina stormed ahead to claim a dominant first set, and though Raducanu recovered from an early break in the second to break straight back, she was no match for the rest of the encounter.

Indeed, from 1-1 back on serve, Kasatkina proceeded to rattle to 4-1 ahead in the second set – breaking Raducanu twice more – before serving the match out for 6-2 after the pair traded breaks again before the end.

Kasatkina will now face Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in the last four, the latter having knocked out another Brit earlier on Thursday in Katie Boulter.

Raducanu failed to get to grips with Kasatkina in the relatively one-sided Centre Court contest.

However, the 21-year-old, who missed the entire grass-court season last year following wrist and ankle surgery, heads to the Wimbledon buoyed by impressive wins over Sloane Stephens and world No 5 Jessica Pegula.

Raducanu showed occasional glimpses of her class, catching the eye with a superb backhand sliced winner as she saved four set points in the opener.

Yet she blew a 40-0 lead on serve early in the second set and was broken six times overall as powerful Kasatkina dominated the majority of the rallies to secure progression.

Boulter, Dart lose Eastbourne quarter-finals | Klugman loses Wimbledon qualifier

Boulter’s quest to clinch another grass-court title ahead of Wimbledon was emphatically ended by a comprehensive Eastbourne quarter-final loss to French Open finalist Paolini.

Two-time Nottingham Open champion Boulter struggled for rhythm and with her serve en route to a resounding 6-1 7-6 defeat.

World No 7 Paolini dominated the tactical battle against the British No 1 and adapted far better to blustery conditions at Devonshire Park.

The prospect of three British women reaching the semi-finals of Eastbourne International had earlier been extinguished by Harriet Dart’s 6-2 6-1 loss to Leylah Fernandez in Thursday’s opening match.

Elsewhere, 15-year-old British schoolgirl Hannah Klugman missed out on reaching the main draw for Wimbledon, as she lost her final qualifying match 6-3 6-3 to the USA’s Alycia Parks.

Meanwhile, wildcard Billy Harris is one step away from becoming the first Briton to reach the men’s singles final at Eastbourne after battling from a set down to upset Italian world No 49 Flavio Cobolli.

The 29-year-old, a quarter-finalist at Queen’s last week, won 6-7 7-6 6-2, having beaten compatriots Jacob Fearnley and Charles Broom in the previous rounds.

Nottingham-born Harris, ranked 139 in the world, will meet Australian qualifier Max Purcell – a 6-3 7-6 victor against Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic – in the semi-finals.

What’s coming up on Sky Sports Tennis?

In the run-up to the third Grand Slam of 2024 – Wimbledon – you can watch the biggest tennis stars in action live on Sky Sports.

• Mallorca Championships (ATP 250) – June 23-29
• Bad Homburg (WTA 500) – June 23-29

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