There was always going to be a lot of pressure on 18-year-old Emma Raducanu after she heroically won the US Open this past summer. Unfortunately, Raducanu has lost her first match since Flushing Meadows.

The Brit fell to No. 100 ranked Aliaksandra Sasnovich at Indian Wells on Friday in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4. Emma Raducanu won the opening game of the first set, but the Belarusian took control after that in the first-ever meeting between the two players.

Raducanu spoke out on the defeat, via AFP:

“There is going to be disappointment after any loss,” Raducanu said.

“Going into the match I didn’t put any pressure on myself because in my mind I am so inexperienced. I am 18 years old. I need to cut myself some slack.

“You could tell she was more experienced than me and she went out there and executed her game plan better than I did.”

Emma Raducanu didn’t drop a single set at the US Open. A loss was certainly expected at some point and to be honest, it’s better in came in this tournament rather than a major.

The youngster became a global phenomenon in the UK and China because of her mixed ethnicity and made millions from endorsement deals and such after her Cinderella story ended in the perfect way.

It’s just a bump in the road for Emma Raducanu that she will surely learn from. The next step will be to bounce back and prove that she’s here to stay.