“It was tricky,” reveals Emma Raducanu as she battles back from the brink to score her first win in Madrid
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Emma Raducanu
Emma Raducanu’s coaching week came to a close with another emphatic win on the surface that had been predicted to trip her up. The US Open winner won her fourth match on European clay in a row, defeating Tereza Martincova 7-6, 6-0, to advance to the second round of the Madrid Open.
It was her second triumph over the Czech after the Billie Jean King Cup earlier this month when Raducanu saved three set points in the opener. She had trailed 2-5 in what were brisk circumstances due to the Spanish capital’s elevation and she showed the more conviction of the two players in the tiebreak, which she won 7-3.
“It’s always tough playing on a brand new court”- Emma Raducanu
“It was a tricky first set,” Emma Raducanu said in her on-court interview. “I think it’s always tough playing on a brand new court, so it took me a little bit to adjust to my surroundings.”
“And, of course, if you’re low or lacking in your own game then an opponent at this level is going to take advantage of that. I’m just glad I stuck through the first set and then definitely relaxed in the second,” the Brit went on to add.
The US Open champion concluded her statement by expressing her admiration for the Spanish capital. “I love Madrid, I’ve been out once, it’s such a cool vibe. I’m looking forward and hopefully, I get to spend some more days here.”
After splitting from Torben Beltz earlier this week, Iain Bates, head of the women’s game at the Lawn Tennis Association, was on duty in Raducanu’s support box for Friday’s encounter. Emma Raducanu landed three out of four first serves, a percentage that demonstrates a reasonable degree of confidence during her maiden senior outings on the red dirt.
Emma Raducanu will now face Marta Kotsyuk
She now meets Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine, who defeated her in less than an hour in the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca in October.
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