Emma Raducanu loses to Maria Sakkari on season debut in Perth as Great Britain exit United Cup

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Emma Raducanu was defeated in three sets by Maria Sakkari in the United Cup in Perth as her Australian Open peparations did not get off to the dream start, with the first Grand Slam of the season just two weeks away. With Billy Harris also losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas, it ended Britain’s participation in the tournament despite a win in the mixed doubles.

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Emma Raducanu lost to Maria Sakkari on her 2026 season debut, the former Grand Slam winner going down in a tight three-set match to her Greek rival.

Raducanu was representing Great Britain in the United Cup, and went into the match with the pressure on after Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated Billy Harris in the opening singles match.

Raducanu has had a longer off-season than most, having called time on her 2025 season back in October after battling a foot injury for the latter part of the year.

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And having sat out the opening round match against Japan, Raducanu’s fitness was already being discussed as a cause for concern. But bar the expected rustiness of a player who has not taken to a court competitively for well over two months, Raducanu did not show any obvious signs of that persistent injury in the 6-3 3-6 6-1 loss.

When she withdrew from a showdown with Naomi Osaka just an hour before their opening round match in the United Cup, many were concerned given the former US Open winner has been blighted by injury since her shock triumph in New York back in 2021.

But in battling hard against Sakkari for two hours and 27 minutes, Raducanu at least showed that she has the fitness going into the new season to hang with the best - Sakkari, a former world No. 3, looking to fight her way back towards the top 10.

The Greek was pleased with her performance, having never previously beaten Raducanu. Sakkari had lost to the Brit four times on the bounce without picking up a set.

"I've had four tough losses against her so to get that first win against her, against a great opponent, it means a lot, especially delivering for Team Greece," Sakkari said in her on-court interview.

"Especially after the season I had last year, I came into this tournament with low expectations after a great pre-season, but at the same time, I just felt, 'Let's see what I can do. Let's see how I can deliver the things that I worked on.'"

Earlier, Harris lost 6-4 1-6 6-7 to Tsitsipas, who, like Sakkari, is trying to make his way back to the top echelons of the game after dropping down the rankings following a tough 2025 season.

"I got fed up losing matches like that [last year]," Tsitsipas said on court after his victory.

"I lost one in September and I just tried everything in my power to not have the same thing happen again. I am grateful to overcome that. It had a crazy energy out here.

"I would like to congratulate Billy. He put up an incredible performance. I haven't played such a high-quality match in such a long time. He did great, pushing me to my limits. I think matches like that are great for the sport."

Greece move on to the quarter-finals, while Great Britain finish as runners up in the group.

That is not enough to progress in Perth, despite a win in the mixed doubles for Neal Skupski and Olivia Nicholls.

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