Emma Raducanu battles past Maya Joint to reach Italian Open second round
Raducanu will now meet world number 20 Ekaterina Alexandrova after seeing off the 19-year-old Australian 7-5 6-7 (1) 6-3 in Rome.
The former US Open winner came within two points of finishing things off in straight sets but was steamrollered 7-1 in the second-set tie-break to set up a decider.
.@EmmaRaducanu wins a Rome ROLLERCOASTER!! 👊
Emma defeats Maya Joint 7-5, 6-7, 6-3 in a CRAZY battle to reach the Second Round 🎢#BackTheBrits 🇬🇧 | @InteBNLdItalia pic.twitter.com/Tl40AK0sWu
— LTA (@the_LTA) May 7, 2025
It looked like being a nervy finish at the SuperTennis Arena but the Briton found her mojo again, going 5-0 ahead in the third before wrapping things up in two hours, 44 minutes.
Watched on by mentor Jane O'Donoghue, with recently installed coach Mark Petchey unavailable due to broadcast commitments, Raducanu was a worthy winner overall but will need to recreate her best moments more often to get past Alexandrova.
Raducanu looked to impose herself from the outset, seeking out powerful winners and taking her first service game without conceding.
She somehow failed to convert four break points at the next attempt and, after a couple of self-imposed errors on her own serve, found her opponent in less forgiving mood.
A break down at 4-2, Raducanu showed resolve to break back immediately and sealed a second break with a backhand winner before holding for the set. The Briton made it four games in a row as she started the second set in control, breaking at first ask then holding to love.
A starlit victory ⭐️
After 2 hours and 44 minutes, @EmmaRaducanu secures her spot in the second round defeating Joint 7-5, 6-7, 6-3.#IBI25 pic.twitter.com/FSG5KWmMud
— wta (@WTA) May 7, 2025
Joint briefly got back on level terms but was finding Raducanu's return too hot to handle, buckling as the second of three break points came good.
Two double faults in the eighth game gave Joint another chance to scrub the deficit but four successive points got Raducanu out of trouble.
That ruthless streak deserted her as she allowed Joint to escape another break from 0-30 then came within two points of serving for the match only to slip back to stalemate. Joint was electric in the tie-break, winning the first five points to flip the momentum.
Raducanu took a break and emerged with a new lease of life, taking five consecutive games to move herself back to the brink of victory. She was made to wait by a spirited fightback but finished with a punchy service game, smiling widely as her opponent cleared the baseline with the final shot of the match.
Earlier, Cameron Norrie made the most of his second chance after beating Christopher O'Connell.
Norrie was beaten in the final round of qualifying by Dusan Lajovic on Tuesday but made it into the main draw after being picked as the lucky loser.
And he took advantage of his reprieve as he beat Australian O'Connell 6-3 6-2 to set up a second-round tie with former world number one Daniil Medvedev.
'I lost a match yesterday where I really didn't play well… after the match I was completely devastated,' Norrie told Sky Sports.
Katie Boulter loses out 6-3, 6-3 to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in Rome#BackTheBrits 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/N4PG9w83DV
— LTA (@the_LTA) May 7, 2025
'It was nice to have another chance. It's not often you get the chance to get some revenge the next day.'
Katie Boulter's status as British number one is under threat after a first-round defeat to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Clay is Boulter's least favourite surface and it showed as she went down 6-3 6-3 to the 33-year-old Russian.
The 28-year-old could be displaced by Raducanu or Sonay Kartal as the highest ranked Briton if either go deep in the Italian capital.
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Associated Press
40 minutes ago
- Associated Press
GREY GOOSE® VODKA CELEBRATES TENNIS SEASON WITH FRANCES TIAFOE AND THE "LAST SERVE BAR" AT GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL
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Yahoo
an hour ago
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GREY GOOSE® VODKA CELEBRATES TENNIS SEASON WITH FRANCES TIAFOE AND THE "LAST SERVE BAR" AT GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL
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Each bottle of GREY GOOSE is distilled and bottled in France, with a recipe and process that remains unchanged since inception, using just two ingredients – single-origin Picardie wheat and spring water from our natural limestone well in Gensac-la-Pallue. A one-distillation process brings out the true essence of these ingredients. The GREY GOOSE portfolio is comprised of GREY GOOSE® vodka, GREY GOOSE® Altius, GREY GOOSE® La Poire, GREY GOOSE® L'Orange, and GREY GOOSE® Le Citron Flavored vodkas. SIP RESPONSIBLY. The GREY GOOSE vodka brand is part of the portfolio of Bacardi Limited, headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda. Bacardi Limited refers to the Bacardi group of companies, including Bacardi International Limited. Press ContactsNike Communications - greygoose@ Wharton - cmwharton@ Didia - atdidia01@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE GREY GOOSE
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
Coco Gauff Makes Major Coaching Change Ahead Of U.S. Open
Coco Gauff, the 2023 U.S. Open champion and 2025 Roland Garros winner, has shaken up her coaching team ahead of the U.S. Open. Gauff has parted ways with coach Matt Daly and brought in biomechanics expert Gavin MacMillan, per ESPN. MacMillan, who received a tennis scholarship from San Jose State University and also founded a Sport Science Lab in 2001, previously worked with current world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka to fix her troubled serve. MacMillan was shown on court with Gauff as she practiced Wednesday in Arthur Ashe Stadium, as was JC Faurel, who has been working with Gauff. 'A lot of things add up and this could be a really good relationship,' ESPN's Darren Cahill said on air of MacMillan. 'He's very thorough ….I've spoken to him many, many times before and the fact that he's got experience with different athletes from different sports, both male and female, he uses the new technology, he goes to the video a lot, really breaks down the biomechanics.' Chris Eubanks, an ATP player and announcer, was also seen on court huddling with Gauff's father, Corey. 'He's always got her best interests at heart, so he's a great friend of Coco's,' Cahill said. Gauff parted ways with Brad Gilbert last year after Gauff's fourth-round exit at the U.S. Open, where she failed to defend her title. Gauff is 4-4 since winning Roland Garros and lost to Jasmine Paolini in the quarterfinals in Cincinnati. 'It's crazy how quickly you can lose your confidence,' ESPN's Mary Joe Fernandez said this week on air. "You win a Grand Slam title and you think you're riding this wave and it's going to carry over and it doesn't always happen. For Coco, she had a really tough draw at Wimbledon, playing [Dayana]'And then on the hardcourts she has struggled, primarily with her serve. I think that's the one shot that if she can settle down and find a way to feel confident that she's going to make a majority of her first serves and rely on what she did a couple years ago, winning when she wasn't playing her best and making her opponents beat her some how, making it more physical, then I think she'll get back to it. But right now, for me, it's mental.' Gauff did not participate in the Mixed Doubles event at the U.S. Open this week, preferring not to 'waste mental energy' on it, so she could focus on singles. The singles draws begin Sunday.
