Raducanu suffers major defeat in Sydney

After being blasted 6-0, 6-1 by Elena Rybakina at the Sydney International on Tuesday, US Open winner Emma Raducanu's Australian Open warm-up match lasted only 55 minutes.

Raducanu, 19, stunned the tennis world when she won the US Open as a qualifier in September.

However, she chose not to compete in last week's Melbourne Summer Set tournament after recuperating from COVID-19, so her final opportunity for match preparation before the Open was at this week's Sydney Tennis Classic.

But she was blasted off the court by Rybakina, the runner-up to Ashleigh Barty at last week's Adelaide International.

Rybakina, who stands at 1.80 meters, overpowered Raducanu and won the opening set in 24 minutes and eventually won the following three games.