Emma Raducanu remarkably produced a bagel set against the American (Picture: Getty)
Emma Raducanu has put her painful defeat to British No.1 Katie Boulter behind her with a 6-4 6-0 victory over American star Sloane Stephens.
Raducanu lost to her fellow Brit in the Nottingham Open semi-finals 10 days ago but won her opening match in Eastbourne against world No.45 Stephens on Tuesday, in what is her last tournament before the Wimbledon Championships.
It was Stephens who took the lead in an incredibly frantic first set at the Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club – which saw both players produce double breaks – and it seemed we were heading for a tie-break before an epic game 10.
After being stuck at deuce for what felt like an eternity, Raducanu conjured up set point and got the job done with her third break of the match when Stephens’ forehand went wide, much to the delight of the home crowd cheering the Brit.
Raducanu was then on absolute fire at the beginning of the second set, producing some of her very best tennis with two comfortable holds and her fourth break of the afternoon to race into a quick 3-0 lead in the East Sussex sunshine.
Another break and hold remarkably put Raducanu 5-0 up and on the verge of a bagel set and her sixth break of the afternoon secured a mighty 6-4 6-0 victory.
The 21-year-old, who tasted Grand Slam glory three years ago as a teenage qualifier in New York, skipped this year’s French Open to focus on Wimbledon, which gets underway on July 1 with Raducanu handed a wildcard by organisers.
Raducanu has struggled with form and various injury problems ever since her US Open triumph at Flushing Meadows and 2024 is all about building up her fitness, with the British star currently ranked No.168 after her long period of inactivity.
She is desperate for a deep run at her home Grand Slam in SW19 – the tournament where she burst onto the tennis scene when she reached the fourth round in 2021 – after she was unable to compete last year due to injury issues.
Beating one-time major winner Stephens is a key morale boost for Raducanu, and the Briton who was ranked as high as world No.10 back in 2022 is now aiming to extend her stay in Eastbourne for as long as possible before the Championships.
‘For me it was a case of adapting to the court,’ Raducanu said after the victory. ‘I have never played out on this centre court before and every grass court plays very differently.
‘I think it was a very close first set and I was down all the way through in the first set but I managed to break. It was difficult as Sloane is very difficult to break. She was making many balls and was counter-punching very well.’
Asked if she was planning to watch the England football team face Slovenia at Euro 2024 later tonight, she added: ‘Yes, 100 per cent! I am there and ready to go! Go England!’
‘I’ve rekindled a fire inside of me’
Emma Raducanu reached the semi-finals in Nottingham this month (Picture: Getty)
‘I love the sport, I love tennis,’ Raducanu said ahead of her match against Stephens in Eastbourne. ‘It’s kind of just taken over me. I’ve really rekindled a light and a fire inside of me. Just very happy and enjoying it a lot.
‘I’m just really grateful to have this feeling again because it’s something that I feel like I’ve been missing in a way for the last few years.I haven’t felt this good about my tennis and just excited about it and passionate for a long, long time.
‘I think now it’s really comforting for me, because I’m way less focused on the result because I know, with the way that I’m training and the way that I’m competing and fighting on the court, good things are 100% going to happen.’
Emma Raducanu lauds ‘special’ Andy Murray
Emma Raducanu has shared her thoughts on Andy Murray’s injury woes (Picture: Getty)
Andy Murray’s participation at Wimbledon 2024 is massively up in the air – with conflicting reports over his fitness on the weekend – following an operation on a spinal cyst in his back after the new injury he picked up at Queen’s Club.
Quizzed for her thoughts on Murray, Raducanu said: ‘I think it’s very easy to jump to conclusions very quickly. I don’t know what’s going on at all but I just wouldn’t believe everything that’s said in the press because a lot of the time it’s not the full story at all.
‘Watching Andy at Wimbledon is so special. I just see him operate day to day, how professional he is, how he’s in the gym an hour and a half before practice, how he goes about his thing.
‘It’s just nice to have that influence. He sets really good stands and all of us love to have him around. It’s nice to also see him hitting with the other boys and the other players. I think they all get really inspired when they play with him too.’