Emma Raducanu falls to dominant World No 3 Coco Gauff in straight sets in the fourth round of the Italian Open
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- Raducanu won three clay-court matches on the spin to reach the fourth round
- Gauff outclassed the Briton in Rome 6-1 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals in Rome
World No 3 Coco Gauff has put an end to Emma Raducanu's resurgence at the Italian Open, putting on a dominant display to defeat the Briton in straight sets and move into the quarter-finals in Rome.
Gauff, who is the favourite to win the competition, beat the 23-year-old in fairly comfortable fashion, 6-1 6-2, to deny Raducanu the chance of becoming British No 1.
Raducanu - ranked 49th in the world - came into the fourth round in confident mood after an impressive comeback win over Russia's Veronika Kudermetova, setting up a battle with the US star.
And had she managed to get past Gauff, the once US Open champion would have reclaimed her status as British tennis' number one ranked female star from Katie Boulter.
However, the American was just too good. Raducanu was broken early in the first set and was never able to recover; Gauff's pedigree on the clay surface was just a step too far.
Despite the defeat, Raducanu's run to the fourth round will serve as encouragement ahead of the French Open, where she is likely to play at Roland-Garros at the end of the month.
The British number two won three clay-court matches on the bounce for the very first time in her career to set up Monday's showdown in the Italian capital.
Raducanu got past Australia's Maya Joint in the first round before battling past Ekaterina Alexandrova and Kudermetova as her confidence on clay began to grow.
But it was clear from the get-go that a win would be hard to come by against a Gauff who was finally hitting her stride in a competition in which she is expected to triumph.
The American showed complete control throughout the first set, dropping just a single game. It was an exhibition of how to play on the service.
The start of the second saw Raducanu find a bit of rhythm as she held on to her first two service games, but it was downhill from there.
In the end, it took Gauff just 79 minutes to cruise past the British star and book her spot in the next round.
While the score showed what a brutal day it was for Raducanu, Gauff had some kind words for her opponent after the pair shared a handshake and a hug.
'It was tough conditions,' Gauff told Sky Sports. 'Super windy, and this court is super dry compared to the other ones. I played a match on here yesterday, so I knew what to expect.
'Emma is a tough opponent, no matter what surface it is, she's tough to play against.'
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