Emma Raducanu was delighted after surviving difficult weather in Auckland and winning her first match of the season. On Tuesday, Raducanu rallied from a set and a break down to beat young Czech Linda Fruhvirtova 4-6 6-4 6-2 in the first round of the ASB Classic.
The match lasted two hours and 28 minutes and was stretched to over four hours due to two rain delays. “I think it’s been about four hours, I honestly don’t remember what time it is anymore,” Raducanu said with a laugh.
Raducanu, who just turned 20, admitted that it was a bit strange playing against Fruhvirtova, 17, three years younger. “What a fight. Linda is a very young player, and it was a different dynamic for me, because I used to be the youngest, and in this match she is, and yes, she will be up there for sure, and she is already very big.”
added Raducanu. Raducanu saved three break points in the eighth game, but she also missed four in the ninth, as Fruhvirtova led 5-4 after the first nine games of the match. In the tenth game, when Raducanu served to stay in the first set, Fruhvirtova hit the first break of the match.
After winning the first set, Fruhvirtova started the second set with a break and a 2-0 lead. Trailing by a set and a break, Raducanu responded with consecutive breaks to win four games in a row and take a 4-2 lead in the second set.
Raducanu held her serve for the remainder of the second set to force the decider. Raducanu then won three straight breaks early in the third set to lead 5-0. Raducanu missed her serve in the sixth game and also missed three match points in the seventh.
However, in the eighth game, Raducanu had no problems and the Brit managed to serve to win the match. In her next match, Raducanu will face Veronika Kuzmova. The young British woman works to recover the tennis that led her to shine at the 2021 US Open, where she won her title coming from the qualifying phase.
Raducanu has provided some interesting responses
Emma Raducanu has provided some interesting responses to questions posed to her by the media department of the ASB Classic. Raducanu was asked to describe her wake-up ritual.
“I wake up, set my alarm, and I froth my milk really soon after. I travel with my milk frother and yeah it’s just a little piece of home,” she said. The World No. 78 further revealed that her favorite place to play on tour is Seoul.
“I played in Seoul, that was cool. I haven’t played here (Auckland) yet but Seoul is really really cool,” she said.
