‘Nervous' Emma Raducanu enjoys win with Katie Boulter in rare doubles outing
The WTA 500 event marks the first time in 52 years Queen's has hosted women's tennis, and while the pairing of British number one Boulter and number two Raducanu were not quite ready to submit their entries to Wimbledon, there were hugs and fist-pumps aplenty as they got their grass court seasons underway.
'I was actually very nervous before the match,' said 2021 US Open champion Raducanu, who has drawn a to be determined qualifier for her opening singles match. 'I don't know if you could tell, but, yeah, probably more nervous than the singles, because I just didn't necessarily know what to do.
'I'm really happy once we got out there, Katie made me feel so comfortable, and I'm just so pleased to get a win.'
This Queen's partnership, Raducanu revealed, came 'spontaneously', after a few close calls where she and Boulter nearly joined forces at Madrid, Paris and Miami.
Asked it could extend as far as Wimbledon, Raducanu replied: 'We haven't spoken about it. It worked pretty well, so we're just going to keep on trying to do as best we can this week.'
Boulter joked: 'Scrap what she said – we're going for the Wimbledon title! No, I'm just kidding.'
Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter were in good spirits (John Walton/PA)
The British pair claimed an early break in the first set and extended their lead to 4-2 before Wu and Jiang drew level at 4-4.
Boulter and Raducanu broke back and eventually claimed the opening set, converting their second set point.
Momentum in their favour, the Britons made quicker work of the pair from China and Chinese Taipei in the second set, sealed emphatically by Raducanu's volley.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
England complete T20 series clean sweep to continue Harry Brook's winning start
The tone was set with a breakneck opening partnership of 120 in just 8.5 overs between Jamie Smith (60) and Ben Duckett (84), paving the way for a towering total of 248 for three – equalling the record score on English soil. A record-breaking night in Southampton! 💥 IT20 series sweep secured 🔒 Match Centre: — England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 10, 2025 The tourists never got to grips with a chase of that magnitude but still made 211 for eight, Rovman Powell's unbeaten 79 coming too late to make a difference. With the series already secure, England had nothing to lose and their top-order pair batted with abandon in a powerplay that brought 83 wicketless runs. Duckett was a bundle of energy at the crease, skipping around and stepping inside the line to cue up a vast array of strokes. The bowlers struggled to find a safe area to bowl and captain Shai Hope could not plug enough gaps in the field as Duckett reversed his hands, stepped outside off to open up square leg and carved anything short over the in-field. When Alzarri Joseph tried to sharpen him up with a first-ball bouncer, he casually swatted it for six. Smith's tactics were more streamlined but no less effective, with an emphasis on big, bludgeoned shots down the ground. Ben Duckett brought up his half-century off just 20 balls (Andrew Matthews/PA). Duckett won the half-century sprint, bringing it up off just 20 balls, but Smith was just a couple behind. He hurried to his first T20 fifty for England with three sixes in four balls off an outmatched Romario Shepherd, with one particularly dazzling blow on the up over extra cover. His attack ended after 26 brutal balls when he leaned back and hit Gudakesh Motie to Shimron Hetmyer on the boundary, for once lacking distance. Smith was only given his chance at the top of the order due to Phil Salt's paternity leave, but the role already feels like his to lose. The reward for removing him was the arrival of the series top run-scorer, Jos Buttler, who announced himself by rocking back and hammering Joseph over the crowd and into the concourse in front of the fast-food vans. Buttler perished after skying a wide ball from Sherfane Rutherford and Duckett saw a first century evade him when he lost his leg stump to Akeal Hosein, but the runs kept flowing. Brook hit 35no, including eight off the last two balls to level Australia's record score at the same ground in 2013, while Jacob Bethell produced another electric cameo worth 36no from only 16 balls. That included three mighty sixes in succession off Motie and a wonderfully inventive reverse flick to deep third. It looked a tall order for an brow-beaten West Indies and so it proved, Luke Wood and Liam Dawson taking care of the openers Evin Lewis and Johnson Charles in single figures. Luke Wood picked up three wickets (Andrew Matthews/PA). Hetmyer smashed three sixes as he burned brightly and briefly, attempting a fourth off Bethell's left-arm spin but finding the fielder. Hope went down fighting with 45 before being bounced out by Brydon Carse and Powell took a hefty chunk out of the winning margin, but the chase never quite caught fire. Rutherford and Shepherd mustered one run between them as Adil Rashid spun out both, with Wood returning to pick up two more late wickets at the death.
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Liverpool 'agree British record Florian Wirtz deal' as Reds to sign German star
Liverpool have agreed a deal to sign Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen, according to reports, with the Reds having agreed to meet the Bundesliga side's demands Liverpool have reportedly clinched a British record-breaking deal for the highly sought-after Florian Wirtz, with Bayer Leverkusen's valuation finally met by the Anfield side. The transfer saga that has dominated headlines is seemingly drawing to a close as the Reds have reached an agreement with the German club that is thought to reach their £126.9million valuation should various add-ons be met. The move will surpass the £115m Chelsea paid for Moises Caicedo when they signed from Brighton two years ago. After rejecting two previous offers from Liverpool, Leverkusen stood firm on their asking price, which Liverpool have now apparently satisfied, although the specifics of the deal's structure remain undisclosed. Wirtz is poised for a medical and to put pen to paper, with reports noting that the German talent had his sights set on joining Liverpool and had agreed to terms over a fortnight ago. Despite interest from Manchester City and Bayern Munich, Wirtz has opted for a future with the Merseyside outfit. The young star's ascent at the BayArena has been nothing short of spectacular, earning him the title of Bundesliga Player of the Season in the last campaign. "You have to give special players like Flo the possibility to do special things on the pitch," former Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso had enthused when discussing his prodigy. Wirtz, a European Under-21 Champion with Germany in 2021, has already racked up an impressive 29 appearances for the senior national team, netting six goals for Die Mannschaft. Former Germany gaffer and current Barcelona boss Hansi Flick praised: "Florian is just a huge asset for this team with his care-free nature. "He's simply an outstanding technician, loves to play, is very creative, has a good shot, runs hard and is quick. He's the full package."
Powys County Times
an hour ago
- Powys County Times
Bryson DeChambeau 'super excited' at prospect of signing new LIV Golf contract
Bryson DeChambeau is 'super excited' at the prospect of signing a new contract with LIV Golf. The 31-year-old signed a reported deal of more than $100million (£74m) to join the Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) tour. That expires in 2026 and, despite speculation suggesting DeChambeau is ready to rejoin the PGA Tour, he hinted his future remains with LIV. View this post on Instagram A post shared by LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) Ahead of the US Open at Oakmont, where he is the defending champion, Dechambeau said: 'Next year is when (his contract) ends. 'We're looking to negotiate at the end of this year, and I'm very excited. They see the value in me. I see the value in what they can provide, and I believe we'll come to some sort of resolution on that. Super excited for the future. 'I think that LIV is not going anywhere. (Yasir Al Rumayyan, governor of PIF) has been steadfast in his belief on team golf, and whether everybody believes in it or not, I think it's a viable option. 'I think it's a viable commercial option. Our team has been EBIDTA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortisation) positive for the past two years, so we're starting to grow and move in the right direction. One of the best moments of my life — Bryson DeChambeau (@brysondech) June 16, 2024 'I know my worth. I know what LIV brings to the table. And I'm excited for the future of what golf is going to be.' DeChambeau is bidding to win his third US Open following victories at Winged Foot in 2020 and Pinehurst last year, where he edged out Rory McIlroy in a thrilling finish. He has become a fixture on major championship leaderboards since his move to LIV Golf, his US Open win last year one of five top-six finishes in his last six starts. 'I think for any golfer out here trying to win the US Open, there's just as much pressure. 'You can put as much pressure on yourself as you want. I try to look at it as there's a lot of fans out there. 'I'm excited to showcase my skill sets and try to play the best golf as I possibly can, and if that adds up to the lowest number out here, great. If not, I've got to work harder. 'That's the pressure I put on myself – performing for the fans. 'It's been an amazing year. I'm so grateful to have won the US Open. I worked hard to win at Pinehurst and have been playing some good golf after that.'
