Emma Raducanu has returned to tennis, and she managed to be victorious in a tight match with Elena-Gabriela Ruse at the 2024 ASB Classic in Auckland.
This was the 2021 US Open champion’s first match since a defeat to Jelena Ostapenko on the clay courts of Stuttgart. There was a good crowd in Auckland, eagerly anticipating the return of the Brit.
Raducanu has been open about the issues she faced during her time on the sidelines, and that it has given her a more grateful, positive outlook. That attitude may have helped her claim victory against a determined Ruse.
Raducanu played really well in the opening set. In her first set back, she struck the ball cleanly from both sides, and kept unforced errors to a minimum. It led to her claiming the opening set 6-3, and looking dominant.
Understandably, Raducanu did not keep that high level for the entirety of the contest. Unforced errors did creep into her game in the second set. Ruse deserves credit for this, who fought incredibly hard and drew the Brit into many of those mistakes. Ruse took the second set 6-4.
The deciding set was a tussle, and there were some nerves from both women. Ultimately, Raducanu was able to hold her nerve slightly better at the end. She prevailed 6-3, 4-6, 7-5.
Raducanu also gave an encouraging update about how she felt physically after her first match back.
“You’re always going to feel an element of discomfort when you’re out there, in terms of general fatigue, legs, continuing to be that explosive. But injury wise, I feel completely fine right now and I felt fine out there, which was such a nice feeling to have.”
It is great to see Raducanu feeling happy and healthy at the start of her comeback. She also has other excellent news to celebrate about qualifying for the main draw of the Australian Open.
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