Emma Raducanu overcame a long-lasting medical time-out during a Gutsy three-set first round victory at the French Open to create a blockbuster meeting with four-time master Iga Swatek.
The 22-year-old led China’s Wang Xinyu 6-5 in the first set as she called for the doctor, rubbed ice on her cheeks and around her eyes as she got the blood pressure checked.
There was fear that Raducanu, who has had a number of injuries and disease questions throughout his career, should retire from the fight. But after three minutes of treatment, she returned to court and served with confidence the set to love.
Wang gathered to take the second set, but in front of a large crowd on a cramped court eight, Raducanu hit back to end a Gutsy 7-5 4-6 6-3 win in two hours and 44 minutes-the common longest match of his career on Clay.
Raducanu, who speaks to Laura Robson and Tim Henman on TNT SPORTSsaid:
“I’m not feeling well. I would have felt worse if I had lost that match, but I really fought from the start.
“She was a tough opponent. She can really take the rack out of your hand and I was really just flat but glad to find a way.
“The opening rounds are never easy and I haven’t been here in three years, so I think it was just a combination of a lot of things, but happy to have been through.
“I can take positive things, in the fact that many top players in the first round have fought, but came through and given themselves another opportunity. My heart and fight came through and I am very proud of it.”
Crucial pause turning games in favor of Brit
Before the match, Raducanu had admitted the back problem she suffered in Strasbourg last week was still not 100 percent right.
The American champion in 2021 has had to overcome a phobia of needles to undergo acupuncture in an attempt to ease the problem.
Raducanus movement did not seem to be hindered by the problem, but her energy level seemed low.
At the start of the second set, British No. 2 again marked that Wang, which has ranked two places under her at 43 in the world, to move 5-1 ahead.
Raducanu dug deeply to itch both breaks back, but 23-year-old Wang-a former double master of Roland-Garros-brought set points on her opponent’s serving and took the other to smooth out the match.
Raducanu briefly disappeared at the court at the transition, and upon her return immediately seized a decisive break.
She spread two match points on her own serving, but a wang double error in the next game sealed an overwhelming victory.
Swatek Showdown Next …
At the forefront of his showdown with Swatek, who is on a 22-match winning row at the event, Raducanu added: “I’m very happy to have given me another chance in the draw. I felt the noise around the match before I even played the first round so I look forward to going out there with not much pressure on me.
“I think my game is in a pretty good place, so good challenge.”
World # 5 Swatek had previously stretched his winning race on the French Open by beating the Slovakian’s Rebecca Sramkova 6-3 6-3.
‘Raducanu needs energy if she has to disturb Swatek’
Previous British No. 1 Henman At Raducanus Victory:
“First rounds are never easy, and this was a match here. It’s been a little cold, it’s been windy. Sometimes you are not allowed to play your best tennis, you have to fight and I like Emma talking about that character to find a way to get the job done.
“She obviously doesn’t feel her best, she felt low on energy, and when you find a way to get these solutions, you give yourself an opportunity in the next round against Swatek. There is less pressure on her, so hopefully she can play with that freedom.”
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See the last time Raducanu and Swatek met on clay. We’ll take you back to their Stuttgart open quarterfinals clash last year
Raducanu will now have 24 hours to recover in time for the deadly pole Wednesday, which is likely to take place on one of the big showcourts.
Henman said, “These events are 15 days now, so getting through a match like that, improvement and resting will be important. On Tuesday, she can make sure she performs all that improvement, and maybe just an easy practice, because as she said, she has played a lot of tennis and her game is in good shape. It is important that she goes in with a full tank of energy if she wants to cause disturbance.
“She has to be very aggressive, and it’s not easy to do on a clay court when it’s slow and heavy and a little cold, but I think she’s just building confidence in the best event on Clay, which is not her natural surface, but she has won, and now she gets an opportunity to see where her game is against one of the best clay players in the world.”
World No. 68 Jessica Bouzas Maneiro Stunned American ninth seed Emma Navarro 6-0 6-1 in 57 minutes to move on to the second round.
The spanish was on the brink of a double bagel, but could not serve a 6-0 6-0 win and hit two double faults.
Former Wimbledon Master Elena Rybakina overcome another-set slip to defeat the Argentine qualification Julia Riera 6-1 4-6 6-4. Kazakh 12. Seeds next time are American Iva Jovic.
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