Emma Raducanu criticised by Marta Kostyuk for her 2021 US Open run

Citing Emma Raducanu's 2021 US Open win, Marta Kosciuk said that the luck of the draw plays a big role in a player's run at Grand Slams. Just three months after making her tour-level main draw debut in Nottingham in 2021, Raducanu made history at the North American Hardcourt Major. Having entered the tournament as a qualifier, she clinched the title without dropping a set. She became the first female British singles major winner in over 40 years, and the first qualifier ever to win a major singles title. In New York that year, Raducanu faced one lucky loser, and three unseeded players en route to the quarterfinals. She only faced two seeded players, 11th seed Belinda Bencik and 17th seed Maria Zachary. On the other hand, runner-up Fernandez faced a much stronger route to the final, beating the likes of 2nd seed Irina Savalenka, 3rd seed Naomi Osaka, and 5th seed Alina Svitolina. At a press conference on the sidelines of the 2024 Australian Open, Kosciuk said that a player's draw plays a role in how far he or she can go at a major. Every slam and every tournament is so unique and so different. We play in different conditions, different balls, different. Everything is different opponents. I think a lot depends. Someone can have a very easy draw, and someone can have extremely difficult, she said. I have an easiest example of when Lila and Emma were playing the final, what draw Lila had and what draw Emma had. Emma, no offence, but Lila was really fighting for her life every single match, she added. Raducanu's search for a meaningful run at the majors will continue, after she made a second-round exit at the 2024 Australian Open.