Emma Raducanu starts clay-court season with a hard-earned win
Emma Raducanu's clay-court season started with a hard-earned victory that will confer crucial ranking points in her bid for a top-32 seeding at the French Open and Wimbledon.
The 22-year-old was understandably a little rusty in her first match for four weeks but still had more than enough in the locker to come through the first round of the Madrid Open in straight sets. She recovered from a break down in both sets to see off Suzan Lamens, the world No73 from the Netherlands, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 in two hours.
Ranked No49 at present, this win gives Raducanu 35 points towards the approximate total of 350 that she needs to secure a grand-slam seeding this summer. This would crucially give her some protection in the
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Times
26-04-2025
- Times
Emma Raducanu out of Madrid Open despite ‘injuring' opponent in warm-up
Emma Raducanu's powerful ground strokes were not enough to see off an injured Marta Kostyuk, who unusually claimed after her second-round victory at the Madrid Open that the pain in her wrist was caused by her British opponent during the warm-up. Raducanu's participation in this prestigious WTA 1000 tournament was brought to an end with a 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 defeat in two hours and 17 minutes. The 22-year-old battled hard to take the match to a deciding set but was ultimately let down by her misfiring serve towards the end. Kostyuk deserves much credit for holding off the fightback despite an untimely issue with her right wrist. After winning the first set, the world No36 from Ukraine required a medical timeout to receive treatment from the tournament physio, before later revealing that the cause was the power of Raducanu's feeding during the volley drill in the pre-match warm-up. 'Emma was hitting the ball very hard in the warm-up so I think I overstretched it [her wrist] in the volley,' Kostyuk said. 'It just got progressively worse but I don't think it was anything bad. It was just a very weird pain.' Kostyuk, also aged 22, was not suggesting any malice on Raducanu's part. The pair get on reasonably well as former contemporaries on the junior circuit and shared a polite handshake across the net after this contest. Ultimately, the result shows the different ways in which the respective careers of Kostyuk and Raducanu have progressed in recent years. Their previous meeting was at this tournament three years ago, with Raducanu cruising to a 6-2, 6-1 win. Kostyuk has since risen up the world rankings, while Raducanu has gone in the opposite direction to her present position of No49. Raducanu still does not look fully comfortable on the clay and a little hesitant, whether it is with her shots or her movement. She also struggled on serve when it mattered most in the third set, conceding a break on three occasions. This was terminal against a strong opponent such as Kostyuk, who looked far more comfortable on the surface. 'I lost a very easy match to her three years ago, which obviously was not very good memories,' Kostyuk said. 'I know Emma is a great fighter, has achieved a lot and can play amazing tennis. I knew it was going to be a battle. I am very happy for the win.' Raducanu now has a week off before her next scheduled tournament at the Italian Open in Rome. This will likely be filled with more training on the clay with Mark Petchey and Jane O'Donoghue, who are coaching her on an informal basis at present. British representation in the women's singles in Madrid is now over after Katie Boulter and Sonay Kartal also suffered defeats earlier in the day. Boulter was given a clay-court schooling by one of the world's best players on the surface, losing 6-1, 6-2 in 61 minutes to Jasmine Paolini, the world No6 from Italy. Kartal was well beaten too in a 6-3, 6-1 loss to Elina Svitolina, the in-form world No17 from Ukraine who has won 16 consecutive sets in eight matches, including a run to the title at last week's Rouen Open. Kartal can at least console herself with the knowledge that her first-round win has edged her closer to the top 50 at a projected ranking of No54. In the men's draw, all three British competitors will contest the second round on Saturday. Jack Draper, who sits at a career-high world ranking of No6, received a first-round bye and will open his campaign against Tallon Griekspoor, the world No34 from the Netherlands. Jacob Fearnley and Cameron Norrie both face Czech opposition in Tomas Machac and Jiri Lehecka respectively.
Times
23-04-2025
- Times
Emma Raducanu starts clay-court season with a hard-earned win
Emma Raducanu's clay-court season started with a hard-earned victory that will confer crucial ranking points in her bid for a top-32 seeding at the French Open and Wimbledon. The 22-year-old was understandably a little rusty in her first match for four weeks but still had more than enough in the locker to come through the first round of the Madrid Open in straight sets. She recovered from a break down in both sets to see off Suzan Lamens, the world No73 from the Netherlands, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 in two hours. Ranked No49 at present, this win gives Raducanu 35 points towards the approximate total of 350 that she needs to secure a grand-slam seeding this summer. This would crucially give her some protection in the
Irish Daily Star
23-04-2025
- Irish Daily Star
Famous Donald Trump critic changes her tune after hearing trans argument
Tennis icon and renowned Donald Trump critic Martina Navratilova has sided with the president over his decision to ban transgender athletes from participating in women's sports . The 78-year-old made a huge move to preserve the safety of female athletes in February by signing an executive order , named "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports", preventing biological men from competing in girls and women's sports teams and competitions, fulfilling a central promise of his 2024 campaign. The 47th U.S. President has come under heavy fire for his decision from members of the trans community but he has also received his fair share of support , with Navratilova now surprisingly being one of those. The 68-year-old, who herself is a member of the LGBTQ+ community, still disagrees with Trump on "everything" else, however. Read More Related Articles Rory McIlroy's stunning mansion with Erica Stoll pictured, golf course next door Read More Related Articles Rory McIlroy and wife Erica Stoll pictured returning to Florida after PGA Tour decision The nine-time Wimbledon singles champion has consistently expressed her opposition to transgender athletes competing against biological females, referring to them as "failed male athletes", despite facing severe backlash for her views. Nonetheless, Navratilova refuses to budge on the issue. "I disagree with Trump on everything but this issue... and for that I am called a Nazi... homophobe... bigot... the Democrats dropped the ball, Republicans ran with it, and it's a popular issue," Navratilova, who is also a lesbian and claims to have been "jettisoned' by LGBTQ+ advocates due to her stance, shared with The Daily T . "And Democrats are still doubling down. They're still not changing their mind," she continued. "But Trump is right on this. There should be no males in women's sports, period - pun kind of intended. Because it's obviously not fair." Former tennis star Martina Navratilova has performed a U-turn on her opinion of Donald Trump's trans policy (Image: Rob Newell - CameraSport/CameraSport via Getty Images) Last week, the UK's Supreme Court made a landmark ruling that the definition of a woman is based on biological sex, a decision that was met with both applause and protests. In an extensive 88-page judgement, the Supreme Court justices stated: "The definition of sex in the Equality Act 2010 makes clear that the concept of sex is binary, a person is either a woman or a man." This could have a significant impact on sports, as trans women holding a gender recognition certificate (GRC) can be excluded from single-sex spaces if it is deemed "proportionate". Baroness Kishwer Falkner, chairwoman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) , has since confirmed that trans women would not be allowed to participate in women's sports. In December, The Lawn Tennis Association banned trans women from national tournaments, but international competitions like Wimbledon and Queen's follow international guidelines on gender, an issue which Navratilova has already expressed her frustration towards. Navratilova has often been vocal on her opinions of Donald Trump "I've been talking to those bodies and they just do not listen," the former AP Female Athlete of the Year groaned. "Wimbledon, the Lawn Tennis Association, the International Tennis Federation and the Association of Tennis Professionals - it's a moving target, they keep changing the rules." Navratilova added that taking "a simple cheek swab test to prove you're female" would be a simple solution to solving whether you can or can't play in a female only tournament. She isn't alone in her stance, either, with Wimbledon icon Sue Barker also in support of a ban on self-identified trans women competing against biological females. Barker told The Telegraph last year that she is "definitely with Navratilova" if it means preventing taking away young girls' dreams, something former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines - who has emerged as a public face of the opposition to transgender athletes - is also doing her best to push.
