Emma Raducanu got her HSBC Championships off to a blistering start with an impressive 6-0 6-3 straight sets victory over Anna Blinkova in the first round.
The British No 1 dazzled the packed London crowd in a 20-minute first set – she won all six possible games, only dropped six points in the entire set, and produced winners in 12 of her 25 points.
Raducanu was visibly happier on the court, watched on by her new coach Andrew Richardson, with whom she reunited last month after the pair won the US Open in 2021.
Raducanu is into the second round of the WTA 500 Queen’s Club tournament
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Both Tim Henman and Laura Robson believe Emma Raducanu reuniting with her former coach that helped her clinch the US Open, Andrew Richardson, is a good move.
Blinkova, however, never lost hope and bounced back in the second set, producing an expert volleyed drop-shot to win her first game after an early Raducanu break, before the Brit produced three straight double faults to allow the Russian to level the game with a hold at 3-3.
Raducanu, though, kept her composure well under significant pressure from her opponent, and a vital break at 4-3 ahead allowed her to serve for the match and book her safe passage into the second round.
Emma Raducanu during her first-round match at Queen’s
“I’m so happy to have come through that match, and to be back here playing at Queen’s,” Raducanu said to BBC Sport after her win.
“I haven’t won a match for a few months and there’s no place I would rather have done it. I’m so grateful for the support.
“I have a lot of people who mean a lot around me – I’m doing my best each day. Being a part of the atmosphere is something I really enjoy – I don’t find it to be negative pressure, I really buzz off it and enjoy it. I love playing here, and I’m just happy to be back.”
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