Emma Raducanu loses to Diane Parry on tennis return in Strasbourg
British number one Emma Raducanu suffered a first-round defeat against Diane Parry at the Internationaux de Strasbourg in her first match since March.
The former US Open champion was beaten 6-4 7-6 (7-4) by the French world number 94 on Tuesday.
She had been sidelined for over two months with a post-viral illness following a heavy defeat at Indian Wells.
Double faults prove costly on clay
The 23-year-old recently reappointed her Grand Slam-winning coach Andrew Richardson ahead of the European clay-court swing.
Despite showing sharp early movement to take a 4-2 lead in the opening set, the British star struggled to maintain her advantage.
A succession of double faults allowed a heavily strapped Parry to secure three consecutive breaks and claim the first set.
The Frenchwoman entered the contest full of confidence after winning a WTA 125 event in Paris on Sunday.
French Open preparations take a hit
A mirror image of the first set played out in the second as the former world top-10 player again squandered a 4-2 advantage.
An eighth double fault from the Briton gave her opponent the chance to serve for the match.
Although she showed resilience to break back and force a tie-break, crucial late errors handed the victory to the home favourite.
The defeat leaves her heading into the French Open, which begins on 24 May, with severely limited preparation on the red dirt.
Former British number one Tim Henman recently backed her coaching change as perfectly timed for a crucial summer schedule.
