Emma Raducanu, who made a dream run to the U.S. Open title last year, suffered a nightmare 6-3, 6-3 first-round loss to France's Alize Cornet on Tuesday, as the clock finally struck midnight on an improbable tennis fairytale.
Raducanu captivated the sporting world when she became the first qualifier to claim a Grand Slam title, winning 10 matches in New York without dropping a set, catapulting her career into the stratosphere and making her one of the most marketable athletes on the planet.
Twelve months ago, Raducanu arrived at her opening match as an unknown with no expectations or pressur,e but on Tuesday the 19-year-old sometimes appeared to be carrying the weight of world on her slender shoulders.