Emma Raducanu vowed not to let a chastening US Open loss at the hands of Elena Rybakina derail her positive momentum.

Raducanu had breezed through to the third round in New York, winning her first two matches for the loss of only six games, but here she was on the receiving end as former Wimbledon champion Rybakina powered to a 6-1 6-2 victory in just 62 minutes.

Raducanu was left feeling helpless in the face of the onslaught from her opponent, saying: “I thought Elena played very well, and I found it very difficult to get any sort of rhythm in the match.

“So, when I did have a ball, it was kind of hard for me to all of a sudden hit a quality shot, because so many of them were so deep or I didn’t touch that many either. So it was just hard to really capitalise on the few moments that I had.”

The loss brings to an end a season of what might have been for Raducanu at the grand slams, with the 22-year-old having failed to progress beyond the third round at any of them having run into Iga Swiatek twice, Aryna Sabalenka and now Rybakina.

Against Swiatek and Rybakina, she has managed just seven games in three matches, while her clash with Sabalenka at Wimbledon was much closer and had inspired confidence that she could make this a contest.

Raducanu looked downcast walking off court but her form since the spring has been consistently strong, with the former US Open champion almost halving her ranking and, crucially, largely staying fit.

“I think it’s going to be important to just look at the last few months as a whole and the improvements that I’m making, because a match like that can easily get you down if you let it,” she said.

“So I’m going to try and not do that and regroup and just work hard and get ready for Asia.

“I’ve lost to Iga twice, Aryna, and Elena, so it’s tough. But, at the same time, that’s where I’m at with my ranking. I can play top opponents in the first, second, or third round.

“So I’ve just got to do my best in the next few months until Australia to just keep working to try and close the gap.

“I think, depending on the day, depending on how we match up, I’m getting better overall. So I just need to keep consistent and put this one behind me.”

Asked whether she felt she still had a target on her back four years after her triumph here, Raducanu said with a smile: “Big time. I think when the very top play against me, they have a point to prove that they’re at the top, and they’re there for a reason.

“I think every time I’ve played one, they’ve kind of shown that. I’ll take that as a compliment that they’ve decided to really lock in against me, but at the same time it does show I have a lot more work to do.”

Rybakina may only be seeded ninth but everyone on the women’s tour knows she is virtually unstoppable when on her game.

Raducanu is friendly with Rybakina – the pair played doubles together in Washington recently – and the 26-year-old’s strengths would certainly have come as no surprise.

Their only previous meeting in Sydney in 2022 was the joint most one-sided defeat of Raducanu’s career, the then teenager winning just a single game.

A big problem for Raducanu was that she dropped serve at the start of both sets here – blowing a 40-0 lead in the opening game of the second was a particular setback.

With Rybakina not feeling any pressure, she was able to swing freely, and Raducanu was unable to find a foothold in the match.

Moving her ranking back towards the top 20 and therefore avoiding these match-ups in the early rounds should be a priority for Raducanu, who has few points to defend in the coming months.

The hope must also be that her new coaching partnership with Spaniard Francisco Roig endures after a positive start.

“Right now we’re working through to the end of the year,” said Raducanu of the arrangement.

“It’s only been three weeks, but I think it’s been a pretty successful three weeks in a sense that we’ve made good improvements.

“I think there are certain parts of my game which have gotten better for sure. Today my weaknesses were highlighted, but I think it’s only been three weeks, and he can’t really work miracles. So I know we’re doing good work, and I just look forward to continuing.”