Emma Raducanu's Australian Open preparations took a hit as she unexpectedly lost to world number 204 Taylah Preston in the Hobart International quarter-finals. The British number one, Raducanu, was the top seed at the event, her final tune-up before the year's first Grand Slam on Sunday. However, her journey to Melbourne will be a challenging one, with just one win under her belt after a 6-2, 6-4 defeat by Preston. Raducanu's performance was marked by inconsistency, especially on her serve, as she committed four double faults and held only three of her nine service games. Despite being twice a break up in both sets, she couldn't capitalize on her advantage in a rain-affected match. Coach Francisco Roig urged her to 'let it rip' and 'don't be static', but Raducanu couldn't convert her opportunities. The match began with Raducanu struggling, and she even remarked to Roig that Preston's shots were coming at her too quickly. She managed to establish a 3-1 lead in the second set but then lost her next three service games in a row, allowing Preston to advance to the semi-finals. Raducanu's sole title remains her 2021 US Open triumph, and she has not reached a final since. Her off-season was disrupted by a foot problem, and she showed signs of rust in a loss to Maria Sakkari in her season opener. Despite a strong start with a win over Camila Osorio in the first round, Raducanu will arrive in Melbourne with just three competitive matches under her belt. She will face Thailand's Mananchaya Sawangkaew in the Australian Open, with a potential third-round match against world number one Aryna Sabalenka. Meanwhile, defending Australian Open champion Madison Keys committed almost 50 unforced errors in a 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 loss to Victoria Mboko at the Adelaide International. Russian third seed Mirra Andreeva dominated Australia's Maya Joint with a 6-2, 6-0 victory, setting up a match with former doubles partner Diana Shnaider, who defeated Emma Navarro 6-3, 6-3.
