Emma Raducanu fought through visible distress to secure a first-round win at the Korea Open in Seoul, defeating Romania's Jaqueline Cristian 6-3 6-4. The British number one appeared on the brink of tears during a crucial moment in the opening set.
The 22-year-old's composure nearly crumbled when she hit a forehand into the net and found herself defending two break points at 3-3. The match had already been disrupted by rain delays.
Despite the emotional turmoil, Raducanu managed to steady herself and hold serve. She capitalised on a double fault from her opponent to establish a 5-3 advantage before closing out the first set in one hour and seven minutes.
The world number 33 showcased her resilience in the second set, executing a spectacular running forehand winner down the line. She recovered from early setbacks by breaking Cristian's serve twice.
Emma Raducanu struggled to keep her emotions in check during the first set
|SKY SPORTS
Raducanu secured the decisive break in the ninth game before serving out the match, overcoming a break point to claim victory after two hours and two minutes. The world number 41 Cristian proved a formidable opponent throughout.
"I'm super happy to have won," Raducanu said afterwards. "It hasn't been easy. I feel like I've played this match the last three days. To have pulled through after waiting, I'm super pleased at how I came through."
She acknowledged the challenging conditions, describing them as "very slow, long rallies and long points."
Raducanu's participation in Seoul came after she withdrew from Britain's Billie Jean King Cup Finals squad. She expressed her belief that competing on the WTA tour would benefit her game's development and strengthen her new partnership with coach Francisco Roig.
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Emma Raducanu was able to overcome her emotions to secure the win
|GETTY
The former US Open champion acknowledged Cristian as "a really tough opponent" who "has had great results recently."
Her victory sets up a second-round encounter with Barbora Krejcikova, a two-time Grand Slam champion.
Krejcikova advanced with a commanding 6-1 6-2 victory over Tatiana Prozorova. The Czech player's experience and success at the highest level will present a significant challenge for Raducanu in their upcoming match.
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Meanwhile at the Chengdu Open, Britain's Cameron Norrie experienced a stunning upset against China's Yi Zhou. The world number 34 squandered a match point at 5-4 in the deciding set before falling 7-6 (7-3) 4-6 6-7 (2-7) in their last 32 encounter.
The defeat came as a major shock given the ranking disparity between the players.
Cameron Norrie suffered a shock defeat to 304th ranked Yi Zhou
|REUTERS
Zhou sits at 304th in the world rankings, making him an unlikely victor against the established British player.
Norrie's inability to convert his match point proved costly as Zhou seized the momentum. The Chinese player dominated the final-set tiebreak, winning it 7-2 to complete the remarkable upset.