How 2022 has been a disastrous year for women's defending Grand Slam champions ft. Emma Raducanu & Naomi Osaka
Defending champion and 11th seed Emma Raducanu lost to Alize Cornet in the first round of the 2022 US Open. The loss marked another early exit in Majors for the Brit, who was unable to get past the second round of any Slam this year.
Cornet has now defeated a Major champion in all four Slams this year and snapped Iga Swiatek's 37-match winning streak at Wimbledon earlier this year.
Meanwhile, Raducanu's exit at the US Open means all the defending champions of the women's singles event at Majors have lost before the fourth round this year. On that note, let's take a look at the performances of the defending champions in the Majors.
Australian Open defending champion - Naomi Osaka (3R loss)
Naomi Osaka entered the 2022 Australian Open as the defending champion but without much match practice. After concluding her season at the US Open, the Japanese player took a sabbatical before returning to action this season.
The four-time Major winner reached the semifinals of the warm-up event in Melbourne but was unable to replicate her form at the first Major of the season. The defending champion went down to Amanda Anisimova in three sets in the third round despite holding match points.
Osaka dropped out of the top-80 and aside from a run to the final in Miami, has had a poor season. She lost in the first round of the US Open to Danielle Collins and is currently ranked outside the top-40.
French Open defending champion - Barbora Krejcikova (1R loss)
Barbora Krejcikova entered the 2022 French Open as the second seed and defending champion in not only singles but doubles as well. However, the Czech player crashed out in the first round, losing to Diane Parry. She was dealt a devastating blow when she had to pull out of the doubles event following a positive COVID-19 test.
The Czech was playing her first tournament since a last-16 exit at the Qatar Open in February. Sidelined for three months due to an elbow injury, the Czech player has had lukewarm results in singles since her return but won the Wimbledon doubles trophy in July.
She's currently competing in the second round of the US Open in singles as the 23rd seed and will be attempting to win a career Grand Slam in doubles by winning the New York Major this year.
Wimbledon defending champion - Ashleigh Barty (retired)
Ashleigh Barty had a stunning start to the season, winning the singles and doubles titles at the Adelaide International. She then won her home Major for the first time, defeating Danielle Collins in the final to become the first Australian to win the Australian Open in 42 years.
After winning her third Grand Slam tournament, Ashleigh Barty announced her retirement from the sport at the age of 25. The Australian hung up her tennis shoes as the top-ranked player, having won a Major on every surface.
Due to her retirement, the Australian didn't defend her Wimbledon crown from 2021, where she defeated Karolina Pliskova in a tough three-set battle in the final.
US Open - Emma Raducanu (1R loss)
Emma Raducanu created history by becoming the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam in the Open Era and more impressively, did so without dropping a set in 10 matches.
After a dream run to her maiden Major title, Raducanu's performances have been mediocre. The Brit has a 13-16 record for the season and hasn't got past the quarterfinals of any event this year. With her first-round loss to Cornet at the US Open, the 19-year-old will likely drop to around No. 80 in the world.
Raducanu is slated to play a WTA 250 event in Seoul, Korea, in the third week of September.