Emma Raducanu beaten in less than an hour by Jelena Ostapenko in Stuttgart

(CNN) Britain’s Emma Raducanu suffered another agonizing defeat, after being knocked out in the first round of the Stuttgart Open on Tuesday.

Jelena Ostapenko took less than an hour to thrash Raducanu 6-2, 6-1 in straight sets at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.

“It’s never easy playing Emma,” the Latvian, the 2017 French Open champion, told reporters. “But I was so fearless out on court today, and was focused from the first to the last minute. Things can continue the same way,” she added.

Ostapenko, ranked No. 22 in the world, remained unbroken throughout the match, and converted all five of her break points.

“I knew against her the main thing was to step in the court,” the 25-year-old Ostapenko said. “Of course, I missed some balls but I tried to be aggressive all the time when it was possible. Just try to take the ball early, don’t give her many chances. And finally, I’m back on clay, my favorite surface.”

The 20-year-old Raducanu, who won the US Open in 2021, has been plagued by injuries over the past 18 months that have dampened her hopes of on-court success.

Raducanu suffered an ankle injury before the Australian Open earlier this year, while tonsillitis forced her to withdraw from the Austin Open in February.

Meanwhile, a recurring wrist injury, which hampered her last season, came back to bite during…