Emma Raducanu makes light work of ‘lucky loser' at Italian Open

Yahoo

09-05-2025

Emma Raducanu made the most of a stroke of luck after her dangerous Russian opponent pulled out of the BNL Internazionali d'Italia at the 11th hour.
She had been expecting to face Ekaterina Alexandrova, who stands among the 10 most successful players on the WTA Tour this season. But when Alexandrova withdrew with a shoulder injury, Raducanu found herself facing Jil Teichmann of Switzerland – a so-called 'lucky loser' from qualifying – as a late substitute.
Teichmann has not defeated a top-50 opponent in more than two years, and it showed. She handed over cheap errors on many of the big points, and the biggest challenge for Raducanu was not to become complacent in the course of her 6-2, 6-2 victory.
Clinical from Raducanu 😮‍💨She's into the third round in Rome for the first time 👏 pic.twitter.com/oIpv4VoUaJ
— Sky Sports Tennis (@SkySportsTennis) May 9, 2025
Even if the overall standard was short of Wednesday's gripping meeting with Maya Joint, Raducanu can be satisfied with the way she hit her serve and her forehand. She used to be known as a player who favoured her backhand wing, but that appears to be changing.
She controlled the court with forehands struck from the centre of the baseline, and when she faced a break point – the only one Teichmann brought up in the match – in the final game, she speared an ace past her stranded opponent.
Quietly, Raducanu is beginning to accumulate a solid season. She endured a horrible run from the end of January's Australian Open, losing six out of seven matches in a period in which she had to deal with a string of tough draws as well the off-court concern of a stalker following her throughout the Middle-Eastern swing.
Emma Raducanu takes the first set 6-2 against Jill Teichman! 🎾 pic.twitter.com/WcYroh5RiG
— Sky Sports Tennis (@SkySportsTennis) May 9, 2025
Since a confidence-boosting run in Miami, however, results have turned around, and Raducanu is now on a much more encouraging sequence of seven wins from nine outings.
Even the fact that she has got through nine tournaments already this season is a testament to her efforts in the fitness room alongside fitness trainer Yutaka Nakamure.
After this win, Sky Sports pundit Marion Bartoli made the point that 'When you're sliding all over the place [on clay], you need to get your legs extremely strong. When you look at her muscle from the lower-body point of view, she has really been putting the work in in the gym.'
After wrapping up her 82-minute win with another ace, Raducanu explained that it had taken her a couple of games to get used to Teichmann's left-handedness.
'It was pretty mental,' Raducanu told Sky's courtside interviewer Karthi Gnanasegaram. 'I was warming up for my match against Alexandrova. All of a sudden I was told that I was playing Jil, and then on top of that she's a leftie, so it is a completely different challenge.
'I honestly haven't practised with a leftie, and haven't played one since [Marketa] Vondrousova in February in Abu Dhabi. The first few games, I was adjusting to the way the ball curls. And Jil, she's so good, especially on clay, and this is her favorite surface. I'm really proud of how I came through that.'
Raducanu also explained that she had made a few tweaks to her service action – always a work in progress – since Miami in March. The shot appears to be working well, with Raducanu only giving up four breaks in five sets in Rome to date. Most importantly, she has been able to find the big serves when she has needed them.
Barring more withdrawals, Raducanu's third-round opponent will be Russia's Veronika Kudermetova, the woman who stands one place below her on the rankings ladder at No50. Here is another tricky assignment against a player who is completely comfortable with the conditions in Rome, having reached the semi-finals of this tournament before.
Yet Raducanu's first step will just be to find her way into the Foro Italico, because she has been struggling to hang on to her pass. 'I was the first person to lose my accreditation,' she told Gnanasegaram. 'Then I lost the second accreditation, and then I got exposed [her name was put up] on the board at the entrance. So yeah, that's not ideal. But to be honest, it pretty much sums me up.'
Raducanu will play Veronika Kudermetova next after the Russian saw off 15th seed Amanda Anisimova 7-6, 7-5.
Closing out the match with an ace ‼️@EmmaRaducanu wins in straight sets against Teichmann 6-2, 6-2.#IBI25 pic.twitter.com/CgK1hwys96
— wta (@WTA) May 9, 2025
Raducanu falls 0-30 behind as Teichmann goes on the attack.
The Briton steadies the ship with a backhand winner down the line to get to 15-30.
Teichmann then sprays another forehand as Raducanu levels up at 30-30.
The Swiss nets a return off a Raducanu serve to bring up match point for the Briton who goes long with a forehand on the next point as the game goes to deuce.
Another Teichmann return sails wide but Raducanu is unable to get it done as she nets a sliced backhand. A return winner brings up break point for Teichmann that Raducanu saves with an ace out wide. Third Raducanu match point comes as the Swiss nets another groundstroke but Swiss is able to save again.
Fourth match point for Raducanu and the Briton gets it done with an ace!
Raducanu crushes a forehand cross to go 0-15 up, then gets to 0-30 after another relentless attack.
Teichmann then puts away a short forehand-cross and follows up with another, this time from the baseline.
The Swiss finds the net as Raducanu gets to break point... and Briton breaks again!
She will serve for a place in the third round after the sitdown.
Some good frontfoot tennis sees Raducanu get to 30-0 before Teichamann shows off her good hands and catches the Briton with a clever drop shot.
Raducanu then double faults but throws down a big first serve to bring up game point. Good first serve out wide followed by a big forehand down the line sees the Briton secure the game.
Two uncharacteristic errors give Teichmann a 30-0 lead before the Swiss nets a forehand and throws in another error which sees Raducanu level things up at 30-30.
Teichmann eventually hangs in and holds.
Raducanu races to a 30-0 lead and then gets to 40-0 with an agressive forehand down the line that brings up three game points.
Teichmann nets a forehand from the baseline as Raducanu holds to love.
Maybe it'll get tougher, but at this stage, this is the sort of match where you ask your coach to go and book a practice court because you need more of a workout.
Forehand winner down the line sees Raducanu go up 15-0 before Teichmann draws an error from the Briton to get to 15-15.
Raducanu then gets the better of the Swiss after an extended rally before throwing in an error on a return.
Another break-point look comes the Briton's way though and Raducanu takes it at the first time of asking as Teichmann double faults again.
Raducanu goes up 15-0 before seeing a forehand sail long in the next point.
Some good serving sees the Briton get to 40-15 and she closes out the game with an ace to get on the board in set two.
Teichmann holds to 15 to get things started in this second set.
The Swiss went off for a bathroom break at the end of the first which looks to have served her well.
An excellent first set from Raducanu who is moving smoothly through the gears. Her forehand was the dominant shot, which shows how far she has come in the last couple of years. That shot might have flowed at the US Open in 2021, but once she got onto the tour proper, she had to go back to school and rebuild it for all surfaces and conditions. All that work is paying off.
Raducanu goes up 15-0 after her first serve is not returned from Teichmann.
Some clean ball striking then sees Raducanu go 30-0 up, and then 40-0 after an ace down the T to bring up three set points.
Teichmann rips a return to get to 40-15, then gets to 40-30 after a nice backhand winner down the line.
A Raducanu error sees the game go to deuce before the Briton delivers a quality first serve to get to advantage. Teichmann goes long with the return and Raducanu seals the first set!
Emma Raducanu takes the first set 6-2 against Jill Teichman! 🎾 pic.twitter.com/WcYroh5RiG
— Sky Sports Tennis (@SkySportsTennis) May 9, 2025
Raducanu races to 0-40 after three dominant points.
Teichmann then throws down another double fault as Raducanu breaks again!
Teichmann is a stylish player but she is a little vanilla, lacking an attacking edge. Raducanu ought to have her measure today and she collects the first break with the help of an almost Federer-esque drop shot, looped high but with vicious backspin.
Raducanu double faults to start, then shanks a forehand to go 0-30 behind.
The Briton gets on the board with a backhand pass after bringing Teichmann in with a drop shot. Raducanu levels with a forehand cross-court winner and then an ace to bring up game point... and the Briton consolidates the break with a brilliant hold from 0-30 down.
Raducanu starts the game with a huge forehand winner before Teichmann replies with one of her own to go 15-15.
The Briton gets to 15-40 after drawing an error from Teichmann and a nice drop shot winner. Teichmann saves the first break point but is unable to save the second as Raducanu pounces and makes the first move in this opening set.
Raducanu falls 0-15 behind before getting back to 15-15. Teichmann then sprays a forehand long as Raducanu goes up 30-15.
A backhand then sails long from Teichmann as Raducanu goes up 40-15 and the Briton closes out with a big forehand down the line.
Good to see Mark Petchey back at courtside after he missed Raducanu's first-round win because of broadcasting commitments. It's so windy in Rome today, and Teichmann is a wily clay-courter, so his advice might be influential today.
Forehand error from Teichmann sees Raducanu go up 0-15 before the Briton nets a return.
Teichmann then gets to 30-15, and then 40-15 as Raducanu nets another return. An extended rally sees the Briton come out on top to go 30-40 but Teichmann holds after winning the next point.
Raducanu gets on the board first as Teichmann nets a forehand return. The Briton then gets to 30-0 off a Teichmann error and then 40-0 as the Swiss goes long with a forehand.
A lovely forehand lob sees Teichmann get on the board at 40-15 but Raducanu throws down an ace to close out the game.
Raducanu goes up 0-30 before Teichmann quickly levels things up at 30-30 with an ace on the third point of the match.
The Swiss then double faults as Raducanu gets to deuce. A nicely timed drop shot sees Teichmann get to advantage and the Swiss holds to get things going.
Players have just finished their warm-up.
Raducanu won the toss and elected to receive.
Cameron Norrie is 5-3 down in the first set against 10th seed Daniil Medvedev on Pietrangeli.
A good day at the office 👔Former finalist @steftsitsipas handles his business in Rome by easing past Muller 6-2 7-6(3) to reach the third round. @InteBNLdItalia | #IBI25 pic.twitter.com/cYOoi38TPU
— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 9, 2025
Stefanos Tsitsipas is a tie-break away from the third round.
The Greek 18th seed took the first set 6-2 against Alexandre Muller of France and the pair are currently locked in a second-set tie-break on Supertennis Arena. Tsitsipas is 6-3 up.
Raducanu and Teichmann will follow.
Good afternoon and welcome to coverage of Emma Raducanu versus Jil Teichmann in the second round of the Italian Open.
Raducanu's nerves were tested in her first-round encounter against the talented Australian teenager Maya Joint on Wednesday but the Briton came through in three sets to record her first-ever victory in Rome.
After her 7-5, 6-7, 6-3 win over Joint, Raducanu told Sky Sports Tennis she was 'really proud' of her display. 'The level was really high,' said the Briton. 'It was really difficult to play and to close out the match was extremely hard but the crowd and the support was amazing.'
Wednesday evening's encounter lasted two hours and 44 minutes and was a testament to Raducanu's fitness, as conditions in Rome were turning as the match dragged later into the evening.
Lucky loser Teichmann lost in the final round of qualifying to Hailey Baptiste but finds herself in the second round after 21st seed Ekaterina Alexandrova withdrew from the tournament due to a shoulder injury.
Teichmann, who reached the quarter-finals in Rome in 2022, has pedigree on clay. The 27-year-old has two career singles titles to her name, both of which came in 2019 on the dirt in Prague and Palermo. Also, her best result at grand slam level is a round-of-16 showing at Roland Garros.
This second-round encounter is Raducanu and Teichmann's first meeting on the WTA Tour.