Britain's Emma Raducanu made a funny blunder as she launched her Montreal campaign with an assured 6-2 6-4 victory against Elena-Gabriela Ruse on Monday, marking her tournament debut at the Canadian Open.
The triumph comes merely three days after her semi-final appearance in Washington.
The 22-year-old has climbed to 33rd in the world rankings, achieving her best position since 2022. Her recent form in the American capital propelled her back into the top tier of women's tennis, regaining her British No1 status.
Despite the swift transition between tournaments, Raducanu displayed no signs of fatigue against her Romanian opponent.
The straight-sets victory demonstrated her ability to maintain momentum from her impressive Washington performance, where she reached the final four of the WTA 500 competition.
Emma Raducanu has beaten her good friend Elena-Gabriela Ruse
|Getty
The British player entertained the Montreal crowd with an unintentional slip of the tongue during her post-match interview. Whilst discussing her recent achievements, she mistakenly referenced the wrong American city.
"I'm so happy to have come through that. I know Elena, she's a very good friend of mine and it's very difficult to play someone who you're close to, so I'm really proud with how I kind of put that to one side in the match and also backed up a good week last week in Chicago," Raducanu told the centre court audience.
JUST IN: Lioness missing from Downing Street Euros celebrations as incredible reason for absence explained
The error prompted immediate laughter from the player herself. "Chicago? DC!" she quickly corrected, before adding that she had "performed well today" and was "really happy and loved playing here for the first time."
The match presented particular challenges as Ruse and Raducanu share a close personal bond. The world no58 represents Romania, while Raducanu herself has Romanian heritage through her father.
READ MORE: Sky Sports forced to issue apology after Ashley Young interview derailed by teammates
Emma Raducanu messed up her US cities in her post match interview
|Sky Sports
Their friendship extends beyond the tour circuit. Following her breakthrough Grand Slam victory at Flushing Meadows in 2021, Raducanu selected Ruse as her opponent for a celebratory exhibition at London's Royal Albert Hall.
"It's extremely difficult. We've spent a lot of time together off court, practices, and she's a great girl so it's not nice when you have to see her name in the draw but I'm really pleased with how I performed myself," Raducanu explained after securing her second professional victory against her friend.
LATEST SPORTS NEWS:
Monday's contest marked Raducanu's inaugural appearance at the Montreal venue. The Canadian Open rotates annually between Montreal and Toronto, with the British player having competed only in Toronto during her 2022 campaign.
Her serving remained solid throughout the encounter, though she conceded four double faults. More significantly, she dominated on return games against the Romanian.
Emma Raducanu has returned to British No1 following her Citi Open run last week
| XThe victory sets up a second-round clash with American Peyton Stearns, the tournament's 32nd seed who advanced directly to round two via bye.
Mark Petchey occupied his familiar position in Raducanu's coaching box, having resumed his advisory role following her Washington campaign.
The television commentator, who previously collaborated with Raducanu in 2020 and again from Miami through Wimbledon this year, continues to assist whilst she searches for a permanent coach.