Online Reporter
AFTER her win on the opening day of the US Open on Sunday, Emma Raducanu returns to match action tomorrow to face Indonesian qualifier Janice Tjen.
Can she keep the momentum?
The British number one went into the meeting with Japanese qualifier Ena Shibahara having not won a match at Flushing Meadows since her memorable 2021 title triumph.
And avoiding a first day exit has removed a bit of pressure from her.
“When I saw the Sunday schedule, I thought first day, first match at 11am – you don’t want to be out of the tournament by 12:30pm on a Sunday,” Raducanu, ranked 35th in the world, said.
“That definitely was on my mind.
“At the same time, if it goes well you get the afternoon off, which is really nice before your day off in between matches.
“I’m pleased I can enjoy the rest of my day and celebrate the win.”
Despite a few morning nerves, Raducanu needed only 62 minutes to secure a 6-1 6-2 victory and register the quickest Grand Slam main-draw victory of her career.
Ahead of the Tjen clash, new coach Francisco Roig, who agreed to join Raducanu’s team earlier this month, is working on her forehand returns.
Roig has become a vocal presence in her courtside box – although there was little guidance or input needed against world number 130 Shibahara.
But, with the match taking place on a noisy Louis Armstrong Stadium, Raducanu said it would not have mattered even if the Spaniard was trying to deliver instructions.
“You don’t really hear it unless you’re kind of lip-reading,” she added.
“I probably don’t take in much of what he’s saying, but when I feel like I really need it, I will go over.”
Despite only working with each other for a few weeks, the pair appear to have already gelled.
Lengthy car journeys to the Cincinnati Open, with Roig taking driving duties, strengthened their bond, and he has since started teaching Raducanu some Spanish.
“If anyone asks if I can say something in Spanish, I just bosh out some verb conjugations,” she joked.
“It’s not exactly the best conversation starter but I’m getting there.”
Returning to the scene where she shocked the world as a teenage qualifier has previously been a burden for 22-year-old Raducanu.
Raducanu has won more WTA Tour-level matches this year than ever before and climbed to the cusp of the top 30 in the world rankings.
A series of injuries over the past four years, combined with the mental load of such frenzied attention, has meant Raducanu is only now seeing the US Open as her “happy place”.
“I broke a barrier of not winning a match here for four years. It is a relief. I’m happy to have stopped that and feel I can keep going without that in my head,” she said. – BBC Sport/Zimpapers Sports Hub
Online Reporter