Day two at the Queen`s Club tournament saw a strong performance from British players, with Emma Raducanu advancing to the second round, joined by Katie Boulter, Heather Watson, and Sonay Kartal.
Emma Raducanu secured a decisive straight-sets victory against Spanish qualifier Cristina Bucsa. This victory was a turnaround from their previous meeting in Singapore earlier this year, which Raducanu lost in a long three-set match.
Despite Bucsa potentially having more match practice on grass from qualifying, the 2021 US Open champion Raducanu dominated the encounter, winning comfortably 6-1, 6-2.
In her post-match interview, Raducanu commented, “I`m still getting used to playing on grass. I knew this match would be tough because I lost to Cristina previously this year, so I focused on preventing that from happening again and fought hard to reach the second round.”
Her next opponent is Slovakia`s Rebecca Sramkova, who advanced after defeating the reigning Wimbledon champion and seventh seed Barbora Krejcikova in straight sets (6-4, 6-3).
British No. 1 Katie Boulter faced a tougher challenge. She began well against Australian qualifier Ajla Tomljanovic but struggled in the second set.
The start of the deciding set looked difficult as Boulter was broken for the third consecutive time, but she managed to stop her opponent`s run of six straight games.
It was a tense match with multiple breaks of serve, but Boulter ultimately secured the win by breaking Tomljanovic one final time in the deciding set, winning 7-6 (7-4), 1-6, 6-4.
Boulter expressed her excitement about the women`s tournament returning to Queen`s, stating, “Having the women back here feels very special. It`s something I`ve dreamt of, walking out on this court after attending as a fan to watch the men for the past few years.”
She is set to play against the fifth seed, Diana Shnaider, in the next round.
Heather Watson also advanced, defeating Yulia Putintseva in straight sets (6-4, 6-3). Putintseva had shown improved grass form last year, winning in Birmingham and reaching the Wimbledon fourth round.
Watson commented on her win, saying, “I`m very happy to get through here at Queen`s. It`s been a great event so far, and I`m really enjoying competing on these courts at this amazing club, plus it`s nice to be home and sleep in my own bed.”
Watson`s better results this year have primarily been at lower-level tournaments, and her victory here sets up a challenging match against fourth seed Elena Rybakina.
However, it wasn`t a perfect day for all British players, as Francesca Jones was defeated in straight sets (6-2, 6-4) by American McCartney Kessler.
