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The Independent
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Emma Raducanu ‘really feeling it' at Queen's as she eases into second round
Emma Raducanu admitted she was 'really feeling it' after she overcame early nerves to open her grass court singles season with an emphatic 6-1 6-2 victory over Spanish qualifier Cristina Bucsa and book her place in the second round at Queen's. The 22-year-old, who secured a first doubles victory with partner Katie Boulter on Monday, revealed before the tournament – the first time Queen's has hosted women's tennis in 52 years – that she was still managing ongoing back issues, playing down expectations for this WTA 500 event which boasts a £1million prize pot. And though she insisted her hopes were 'staying low', Raducanu was in fine form on centre court – on Monday inaugurated as the Andy Murray Arena – where she dispatched Bucsa in just one hour and four minutes. 'I must say I was quite locked in today,' Raducanu said on court, later telling a press conference: 'I think the biggest thing I'm proud of is just the way I handled the situation. 'But, I mean, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous before the match. The way I overcame that I think is really, for me, a great achievement. 'I think I built my way into the match. I didn't necessarily feel (locked in) from the get-go, but I think as the match went on, I definitely got that. I was really feeling it.' Those back niggles have not entirely disappeared, but Raducanu was clearly enjoying herself. She added: 'I play my best when my personality is put on the court and I can express myself, and I feel like sometimes when I've been constrained to play a certain way, it hasn't necessarily worked, and I just need to be free and expressive and then certain moments of creativity can come up. 'I mean, it's easier said than done to be yourself, especially when you're on such a big stage, but for sure when I'm playing freely, when I'm swinging and taking on chances, that is when I'm at my best. Yeah, then I think as that happened today, I could kind of relax into it and more and more could come up.' Raducanu faces Slovakian Rebecca Sramkova in the round of 16 on Thursday, but next up is round two of the doubles at midday on Wednesday, where she and British number one Boulter will take on Lyudmyla Kichenok and Erin Routliffe, who knocked out the other all-British duo, Sonay Kartal and Jodie Burrage, earlier in the afternoon. British number one Boulter also punched her ticket to the second round but in much grittier fashion, battling to a 7-6 (4) 1-6 6-4 victory over Australian qualifier Ajla Tomljanovic. 'When I walked out it actually surpassed what I thought it would feel like when I kind of imagined it,' said Boulter, adding: 'I think it's very easy to get caught up in just trying to get your first grass court match, also coming to such an historic venue as well, which holds a lot of purpose and a lot of familiar feelings when I've come here before.' Earlier, Heather Watson set up a second-round meeting with fourth seed and former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina after upsetting world number 27 Yulia Putintseva 6-4 6-3. It was not to be for British wildcard Fran Jones, however, who was defeated in straight sets 6-2 6-4 by American McCartney Kessler.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Emma Raducanu cruises to first-round win at Queen's – but greater test lies ahead
As starts to the British summer go, it doesn't get much better than an hour in-and-out under the west London sun. Refreshed and rejuvenated after a two-week break following the French Open – and a thrashing at the hands of Iga Swiatek – Emma Raducanu has all her sights set on a prosperous month with the pristine grass under her feet. And here at Queen's Club, sporting a claret outfit, she did not let slip a purple patch on court. Will there be bigger tests than world No 112 Cristina Bucsa? Of course. A fortuitous draw still needs capitalising on, though, and Raducanu excelled and looked supremely at home in a 6-1, 6-2 demolition job. Yet, most strikingly of all, in a year which included a horrendous stalking ordeal, was how much she seemed to enjoy the limelight once again. 'I must say I was quite locked in today,' Raducanu said on-court afterwards. 'I'm still trying to find my groove on this surface. I actually lost to Cristina earlier in the year, so I was really trying to fight and get into the second round. 'It's incredibly special [to play at Queen's]. For us girls to have a tournament here, instead of watching on TV and seeing the men play, is really nice.' It's a noteworthy fortnight for Raducanu, ahead of the habitual significance of a Wimbledon fortnight as a British player. Currently ranked 37 in the world, the 22-year-old is five spots away from a seeding at SW19, which would effectively hand her an easier route on paper to the third round. It is a benefit she has not exhibited since her 2022 season, when she was seeded at the Grand Slams purely as a result of her unfathomable 2021 US Open triumph. As such, she's opted not to play at home in Nottingham (WTA 250) next week and has instead accepted a wild card at the higher-rated Berlin Open (WTA 500). The hope is that a strong run – likely semi-finals or further – either here at Queen's or next week in Germany, could be enough to crack that highly-coveted top-32. Intriguingly, compatriot and doubles partner this week, Katie Boulter, is similarly eyeing a seeding at Wimbledon. Yet where Boulter toiled and stumbled to a tense first-round win in three sets earlier, Raducanu oozed composure and class. From the off, the 22-year-old was lasered in here. She made her move early. With new coach Mark Petchey watching on, having hopped over quickly from Paris after commentary duties at Roland Garros, alongside old coach Nick Cavaday, the Briton dominated her opponent in the back-of-the-court exchanges, with her forehand cross-court thriving in particular. An early break at 2-1 was secured with an old-school slice approach and volley put-away on the backhand side, triggering a Raducanu smile that was so endearing on that memorable run in New York. A second break soon followed, Raducanu cracking her groundstrokes with venom and accuracy hand-in-hand, to the delight of a near-full Andy Murray Arena. Twenty-four minutes is all she needed to clinch the opening set. She started the second set as she finished the first, buoyantly smashing two forehand winners off Bucsa's serve to set up an immediate break. The Spaniard, who admirably came through two rounds of qualifying, had little to no answers to Raducanu's consistency. A double break soon followed with a forehand volley put-away, before the Brit closed it out with a sumptuous cross-court backhand passing shot. A greater test lies ahead, likely in the form of defending Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova in round two on Thursday. That will give the biggest indication of where Raducanu's game is on the grass and whether a seeding is tangible for Wimbledon. But on a positive day for the unseeded Brits as women's tennis returns to Queen's for the first time in 52 years – Heather Watson joined Boulter and Sonay Kartal in round two – Raducanu made the firmest impression. Her road to Wimbledon is off to a flier.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Emma Raducanu serves up straight-sets drubbing to Queen's qualifier as former US Open champion books her spot in the second round after doubles success
Emma Raducanu thrashed qualifier Cristina Bucsa 6-1, 6-2 as she began her singles campaign at Queen's on Tuesday afternoon. The former US Open champion spoke of her love of small courts after her box-office doubles partnership with Katie Boulter was buried on Court One on Monday due to television rights obligations, but she looked more than at home on the newly named Andy Murray Arena. So comfortable, in fact, that looming concerns over a back injury suffered in the build-up appeared a world away on Tuesday afternoon, as Raducanu had as an easy a time as her compatriot Boulter had toiled against Ajla Tomljanovic in the earlier match. While Bucsa does not register as one of her most fearsome opponents to date, the world No116 was unable to lay a glove on Raducanu - who, if she can make a deep run at The Queen's Club, could go into Wimbledon as British No1 again. After gritting her teeth to hold onto her serve in the third game, Raducanu was scarcely troubled in the first set as she planted her flag firmly on the tournament's centre court, with the player noting after the match she was 'particularly locked in' in the afternoon sunshine. Raducanu looked particularly confident at pace, claiming the first break of the match with a lightly popped backhand volley that Bucsa, mercilessly dragged across all four corners of the court, hadn't a hope of reaching. Another on-the-run forehand and a string of flashing baseline winners made Bucsa look out of place wherever she positioned herself, with Raducanu sprinting to the finish of the opening set as if she had a train to catch. When Raducanu plays like this, it can be a challenge not to get carried away thinking of her miraculous rise to prominence. Should she ever hope to match that undreamed-of US Open win, beating a doubles specialist who has gone through two rounds of qualifying like Bucsa will only the first step of many, but you can only play the opponent in front of you. Raducanu did so like a tornado ripping up a frontier town. In front of an appreciative home crowd, Raducanu started the second set as comfortably as she had won the first, and was only tested for the first time five games in. Bucsa's first hold for some time was hard fought, but after an exchange of advantages, the Spaniard could walk back to her chair after the game with her head a little higher after serving up a zippy ace to finally claim it. But a remontada this was not; although Bucsa had Raducanu beaten after pushing her into a deep cross-court backhand before wafting a drop shot into acres of empty court for 30-30, and proved nettlesome as Raducanu's service level briefly dropped. But after pulling off the sticky hold for 5-1, winning the match on her racquet was child's play. Raducanu may have tried to play down British hopes with warnings of her 'pretty low expectations' in west London, but she will have a harder time convincing Tuesday's crowd after performances like this.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Emma Raducanu shares positive update on her fitness after sparking injury concerns with another back issue on the eve of Queen's
Emma Raducanu shared a positive update on her fitness after revealing that she had struggled with a recurrence of a back injury amid her grass-court preparations. The 22-year-old first revealed that she had struggled with back spasms in the build-up to the Australian Open, after sparking the complaint when she stooped to tie her shoelace. Raducanu then saw a flare-up of the problem at Strasbourg, where she was playing her warm-up tournament ahead of the French Open. Speaking on Sunday, the former British No1 was careful to stress that she had 'pretty low expectations' for her spell at The Queen's Club, where she plays the first of her events on grass this week. But ahead of facing off with qualifier Cristina Bucsa on Tuesday afternoon, Raducanu was more confident about how her back had felt after taking to court with fellow Briton Katie Boulter for doubles. 'Yeah, it was good to test it out and see how it goes in the match,' Raducanu said after she and Boulter bested Wu Fang-hsien and Jiang Xinyu 6-4, 6-2. 'And I have been managing it, and I think I will continue to. Hopefully it stays in good shape for (my singles match).' Raducanu had previously seemed downcast when discussing the injury which had prompted 'an interruption' to her time on grass going into the west London event, revealing that she was unable to 'predict the future' about how her body would hold up over the next month. 'I've been managing my back for the last few weeks now, and it's something that comes and goes. 'Overall, I just have to manage what I can take care of when these things happen. I just need to deal with it and just keep doing the right things.' But the former US Open champion was in brighter spirits alongside her Billie Jean King Cup team-mate as they cruised their way to a straight-sets win - and a potential all-British quarter-final should Heather Watson and Jodie Burrage claim victory on Tuesday afternoon. Both players have been open about their desire to get minutes on grass under their belt at the start of an intensive five weeks, and a hospital crowd on the smaller, more intimate Court One proved the perfect setting for the debut of their partnership. 'I was actually very nervous before the match,' Raducanu admitted. 'I don't know if Katie could tell. But probably more nervous than the singles, because I just didn't really necessarily know what to do, but I'm really happy once we got out there.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
When is Emma Raducanu playing at Queen's?
Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter are both in action on Day 2 at Queen's (PA Wire) Emma Raducanu kicks off her singles grass-court season today at Queen's Club, with the prestigious tournament welcoming women's tennis for the first time since 1973. The British No. 2 already has one victory at Queen's under her belt after securing a straight-sets win alongside Katie Boulter in doubles yesterday. Advertisement Raducanu faces Spanish qualifier Cristina Bucsa in her first-round match, but has a tricky draw, with reigning Wimbledon champion Barbora Kreijcikova a potential second-round opponent, and Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen in the same section of the draw. Boulter will also be in action, starting her singles campaign against another qualifier, Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic. Here's all you need to know: When does Emma Raducanu play at Queen's? Emma Raducanu plays her opening singles match at Queen's second on the Andy Murray Arena, the show court, on Tuesday, 10 June. Play begins at 1pm BST, so Raducanu will likely be on court between 2.30pm and 3pm. How can I watch? Viewers in the UK can watch main court action at Queen's, on the Andy Murray Arena, on the BBC, with coverage running from 1pm on BBC Two. The action will also be streamed live on BBC iPlayer, BBC Red Button or BBC Sport. Advertisement The women's tournament runs from Monday, 9 June to Sunday, 16 June, with the men's tournament running the following week. When does Katie Boulter play? Boulter plays in the first match on the Andy Murray Arena. She will take on Ajla Tomljanovic at 1pm.
