Emma Raducanu battled to a hard-fought three-set victory in the opening round of the 2025 Italian Open.
The British world No 49 defeated 78th-ranked qualifier Maya Joint 7-5, 6-7(1), 6-3 at the Foro Italico.
The match lasted two hours and 44 minutes as Raducanu was pushed all the way by her 19-year-old Australian opponent.
It was just the 22-year-old's second match at the WTA 1000 tournament in Rome, having suffered a first-round defeat in 2022.
The 22 year old is looking to continue this good form
Reuters
Raducanu showed remarkable resilience in the opening set, recovering from a 4-2 deficit to win it 7-5.
The Briton then appeared to be cruising towards victory when serving for the match at 5-4 in the second set.
However, Joint fought back impressively to force a tiebreak.
The Australian dominated the breaker, winning it 7-1 to level the match and force a deciding set.
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This setback could have derailed Raducanu, who has struggled with consistency since her 2021 US Open triumph.
But Raducanu responded magnificently in the deciding set, surging into a commanding 5-0 lead.
Joint refused to go away quietly, mounting another fightback as the finish line approached.
Raducanu held her nerve, however, eventually closing out a 6-3 final set victory.
Emma Raducanu won the US Open back in 2021
Reuters
The win marked a welcome return to form on clay for the Brit, who had missed the Italian Open in 2023 through injury.
She also chose to skip the tournament last year, making this victory all the more significant.
Speaking after the match, Raducanu expressed satisfaction with her performance.
"It gives me a lot of confidence because it's not just clay it's at night, it's heavy," the Brit said.
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She also highlighted her commitment to an aggressive approach.
"I'm really proud. I take a lot of confidence from this win, not just because I won, but I think the level in general was really high, and I think I was committing to my shots, which is what I said I wanted to do," she added.
The cold conditions and heavy balls made the victory even more impressive.
Emma Raducanu had a first round exit from the tournament in 2022
Reuters
Raducanu was supported courtside by Jane O'Donoghue, who was the only coach present in her box during the match.
Her other coach, Mark Petchey, was absent due to his commentary commitments with American broadcaster Tennis Channel.
Raducanu joked about Petchey's dual role after the match.
"Petch, I think was on comms of my match, so I hope he was nice to me," she laughed.
The 2021 US Open champion has worked with various coaches throughout her professional career.
Raducanu was full of praise for her opponent despite the victory.
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"It was a really hard battle. Maya played an amazing match and such a high level. And I think I did as well," she said.
"I think the overall level of the match was really high and she's flown up the rankings. I mean, playing like this, I think she's gonna go up really fast, really quick."
