Emma Raducanu delivered a commanding performance to defeat lucky loser Jil Teichmann 6-2, 6-2 and advance to the third round of the Italian Open in Rome.
Raducanu was originally scheduled to face 21st seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, but Alexandrova withdrew before the match due to a right shoulder injury. Her spot was taken by Switzerland`s Teichmann, who had lost in the final round of qualifying.
The former US Open champion demonstrated strong serving throughout the match, hitting six aces and facing only one break point.
“To be honest it was pretty mental, as I was warming up for my match against Alexandrova and, all of a sudden, I get told I`m playing Jil,” Raducanu commented after the match. “On top of that she`s a lefty, so a completely different challenge. Honestly, I haven`t practised with a lefty and haven`t played one since February.”
“I`m really proud of myself for how I fought through. This is her favourite surface,” she added. “The first few games I was adjusting to the way the ball curls, but I`m really proud of myself. I fought through and I`m really proud of how I came through that.”
Raducanu`s performance was thoroughly accomplished, comfortably overcoming Teichmann. Despite being ranked 94th, Teichmann has been ranked as high as 21st previously, but she couldn`t match Raducanu`s power and pace. The Brit secured two breaks in each set and held her increasingly effective serve throughout the one-sided contest.
Raducanu defended well from the baseline, struck several forehand winners close to the lines, and recorded six aces, including a powerful serve down the middle to clinch the match in just one hour and 22 minutes. Her next opponent in the third round will be world No 50 Veronika Kudermetova.
With her latest coach, Mark Petchey, and mentor Jane Donoghue watching, Raducanu seemed to settle into her game effortlessly.
Discussing her improved serve, Raducanu explained: “If you look at my serve now compared to Australia, compared to the Middle East, even Miami, I changed it after Miami with some tweaks and it`s a completely different motion. I`m trying to make it a bit more fluid, a bit longer, so it`s hopefully more robust under pressure, but it`s by no means a finished product.”
“I feel there`s so much more room to grow it. I think this way I can maximise the potential,” she said.
Regarding her comfort level on clay courts, Raducanu admitted she is gradually getting used to it.
“I still don`t really feel comfortable on clay but in a way it helps me because I have to be super focused on every single point, just getting my feet right and to try and not fall over, so it is a big challenge,” she stated.
“The points are long, the balls do get heavier, and when I was serving it out, it was getting slower and slower, so it is physical but I`m slowly finding my feet.”
This match was only Raducanu`s third clay court appearance of the season and the 20th of her entire professional career.
Earlier, Russian Veronika Kudermetova defeated 15th seed American Amanda Anisimova 7-6 (7-5), 7-5 to set up her meeting with Raducanu this weekend.
Tale of the Tape
Expert Analysis
Miles Maclagan on Raducanu`s Performance:
“It really was [an impressive performance]. Without getting carried away it`s a player just inside the top 100 who has already lost this week but Raducanu answered every question that was asked of her. A really positive performance.”
“She was aggressive, kept her foot on the pedal throughout on a day when things could have got tricky.”
“She`ll take some stopping if she continues that kind of form.”
Marion Bartoli on Raducanu`s Preparation and Coaching:
“I think she`s moving better which is crucial on clay. The surface is lively and you`re sliding all over the place so you need to get your legs extremely strong. You need to feel the ground really well and when I look at her muscle from the lower body she has been really putting in the work in the gym, which is probably why she decided to take a break after Miami to get those hours in the gym to make sure she was physically ready for the clay and grass too.”
On her coaching set up, the former Wimbledon champion said: “Emma is probably looking for a coach who is not too technical. She will really need someone on the court with her every day if she wants to work on her technique. She`s probably wanting someone to explain to her how the tactics work for that specific opponent.”
“They had to reposition her around the court because she had to cover the left side of the court [against Teichmann] so when you have the experience of someone as Mark, you can bring that on the table very quickly and sometimes that takes away the stress from the player.”
“I think that`s what she`s looking for in that dynamic. She`s going to her box quite often with eye contact which means she trusts the people inside that box.”
Other British Results
Norrie and Kartal Knocked Out
Cameron Norrie was defeated by 10th seed Daniil Medvedev in the second round in Rome. Norrie, who entered as a lucky loser and won his first-round match, was unable to challenge the 2023 champion, losing 6-4, 6-2. Medvedev broke Norrie four times and secured the win with consecutive aces.
In the women`s draw, Sonay Kartal was also eliminated in the second round. After winning her first match, she lost to 30th seed Linda Noskova 6-4, 6-2. Kartal struggled with her serve, being broken five times, though she managed to break back twice.
