“Experience of winning a big title,” Elina Svitolina shows immense respect for British counterpart Emma Raducanu on her much-awaited comeback

Emma Raducanu lost to Elina Svitolina after coming extremely close to victory.

“Experience of winning a big title,” Elina Svitolina shows immense respect for British counterpart Emma Raducanu on her much-awaited comeback

Emma Raducanu and Elina Svitolina (Via Open Source)

Emma Raducanu, one of the returning players of the year left the court in applause as she lost her second match upon return. The Brit won the hearts of fans as she made a return by easily beating Elena Ruse but fell short of Seed No.2 Elina Svitolina. 

The three-set match was nothing short of entertainment as both the players gave it their all at every point. After a hard-earned first set to her name, the Brit eventually lost to the experienced Ukrainian who had nothing but praises for her opponent. During an interview, Svitolina displayed immense respect for her rival and was impressed by her performance upon return.

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Raducanu who had won the US Open at the age of 18 returned to tennis with a ‘nothing to lose attitude’ after an injury to her wrists and ankles. Even after a year off the court, the Brit made a good comeback to win her first match on tour which impressed the No. 2 seed. To the Auckland Press, she revealed that she was surprised at the level the youngster was playing and enjoyed the match. In addition to this, Svitolina believed in the youngster to return stronger with the experience she has of winning a big title.

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The Ukrainian said to the Auckland press:

I was really surprised with her level. As the 2nd match for her after surgery, it was a really great match. I think it’s good to see her healthy. She’s a great athlete. She won the US Open. She has the experience of winning a big title. I’m sure this match will bring a lot of confidence for her. It’s gonna be really great to see her back again at a high level.
Elina Svitolina on Emma Raducanu

Emma Raducanu is proud of the level at which she played against Svitolina

Returning British star Emma Raducanu had to cut her dream comeback short as she lost against a very resistant Elina Svitolina in a nail-biter of a match at the ASB Classic. After showing a stunning performance at the opening set, the Brit had almost booked her place in the quarterfinals but the Ukrainian had other plans and ended up winning the match.

Emma Raducanu
Emma Raducanu (Via Daily Express)

However, the youngster was still proud of her performance in this game and promised to come back better at the next tournament. She revealed that she was proud of herself for getting her level up to be able to compete against a very experienced player like Svitolina who ended 2023 as one of the in-form players on the tour. In addition to the confidence, the Brit also received a direct promotion at the Australian Open.

Due to the withdrawal of other players, she was promoted from the qualifying stages to the main draw of the tournament and will definitely be a storm contended in the tournament. 

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