Emma Raducanu lost the final six games in a 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 defeat against Antonia Ruzic in the opening round at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
The British No 1, whose original opponent Elisabetta Cocciaretto withdrew at late notice because of fatigue, fought back in the second set to level the match and led 2-0 in the decider before losing all momentum.
Croatia’s Ruzic, the “lucky loser” who was defeated in the final round of the qualifiers, seized her chance against Raducanu, who had withdrawn from her first-round match at the Qatar Open last week.
Raducanu never recovered after falling 3-0 behind in the opening set and was broken twice as Ruzic wrapped it up in half an hour.
The Brit lost her serve again to trail 5-3 in the second set, but battled back with two breaks of her own, winning four games on the trot to win it 7-5 and level the match.
After going 6-1, 5-3 down, Raducanu fought valiantly to level the match at one set all, before taking a 2-0 lead in the final set.
From there, Raducanu quickly faded, losing six consecutive games.
Following the British star’s loss in the UAE, it is clear what she must do next.
Emma Raducanu must hire a new coach after losing in Dubai
Alexis Canter has remained a part of Raducanu’s coaching team for the best part of two years, and Raducanu recently revealed that he would remain her coach for the foreseeable future following her split with Roig.
Raducanu has enjoyed success under the tutelage of Canter, reaching the semifinals of the singles and doubles events at the Washington Open last year.
While Canter is certainly a positive influence in the Raducanu camp, the British star could do with adding another experienced coaching figure to her team.