Emma Raducanu, the British number one, displayed remarkable resilience, battling back from a set down to overcome American Ann Li with a score of 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-1. The victory, which secured her spot in the second round of the Lexus Eastbourne Open, came after she revealed she had received “pretty bad news” prior to the match.
Raducanu initially struggled against the world No. 64, who was the runner-up in the 2017 Wimbledon girls` singles. She was down a set and a break before managing to regain control of the match in challenging, windy conditions.
After converting her fourth match point to seal the win, the British No. 1 and seventh seed at Devonshire Park dropped her racket and visibly let out her emotions.
When asked about her emotional reaction during her post-match press conference, the 22-year-old replied: “I received some pretty bad news, so I would like to keep it personal, if that`s OK? But it was difficult, very emotional at the end and probably just a release of different emotions.”
Raducanu has been dealing with a back issue since playing in Strasbourg before the French Open and required an off-court medical timeout during her quarter-final match at Queen`s Club earlier this month. However, apart from a slip and fall on the grass in the first set, she appeared physically untroubled during her opening match in Eastbourne.
“I feel incredible,” the former US Open champion stated in her on-court interview. “I just want to thank the crowd for getting me through some really sticky moments. It really meant a lot to me and I`m really proud of how I fought back after losing the first set.”
“It was a tough match. Ann was hitting winners from all over the place and it was obviously very windy, but I`m just very happy to come through that, so thank you. It was up and down, but from the middle of the second set I found an extra gear, I found an extra level, and I`m really proud of how I came through that.”
Speaking about her collaboration with coach Mark Petchey, Raducanu added: “It`s working really well. I`m looking forward to playing tomorrow, and looking forward to Wimbledon as well.”
Her two-hour and 18-minute victory over Li sets up a second-round encounter with 19-year-old Australian Maya Joint, who caused an upset by eliminating two-time Wimbledon runner-up Ons Jabeur.
Other Tournament News
Harriet Dart suffered a difficult defeat to reigning Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova, despite holding two match points on her serve. The match was affected by rain delays. After two suspensions in the first set, British No. 4 Dart battled windy conditions and came close to achieving one of the biggest wins of her career. However, Krejcikova, who beat Jasmine Paolini in last year`s Wimbledon final, avoided a first-round exit, recovering to win 6-3 6-7 (4-7) 7-5 in two hours and 40 minutes.
Dart showed visible frustration at failing to capitalise on her match-winning opportunities against the 2021 French Open champion, letting out a scream as the subsequent game slipped away. The 28-year-old has only twice defeated opponents ranked higher than Krejcikova`s current world No. 17 position.
Dart commented: “Some crazy conditions today. I was pretty close. I missed a ball on match point and then she played a really good point on my other match point, and then she becomes a bit freer. It was a tough match overall. My level was 10 times better than I`ve played the last two weeks. For me that`s more important, especially going to Wimbledon. Of course I`d like to have won. But I was also playing a very experienced, multiple Grand Slam winner.”
Krejcikova will face another British player in the second round after Jodie Burrage`s 6-3 6-2 victory over Japan`s Moyuka Uchijima.
British No. 3 Sonay Kartal lost 6-3 7-6 (7-2) to 2021 Eastbourne champion Jelena Ostapenko.
In the men`s draw, Billy Harris won the battle of the Britons by defeating Cameron Norrie 6-4 6-4. British No. 2 Jacob Fearnley knocked out fifth seed Flavio Cobolli 6-2 6-2. British qualifier George Loffhagen lost 7-6 (8-6) 3-6 7-6 (7-1) to American Reilly Opelka, while Jack Pinnington Jones went down 4-6 6-3 6-3 to Portuguese eighth seed Nuno Borges.
Forgotten Man Tomic Earns First Tour Win Since 2021
Australia`s Bernard Tomic secured his first ATP main draw victory since 2021 at the Mallorca Open, coming back from a set down to defeat Rinky Hijikata 3-6 7-5 6-2. The 32-year-old was once ranked 17th in the world and reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals in 2011, but his ranking has dropped to No. 248.
Tomic has faced criticism throughout his career, known for discussing his lifestyle and earnings and having numerous run-ins with authorities.
French Open Semi-finalist Out of Wimbledon Qualifying
Surprise French Open semi-finalist Lois Boisson was eliminated in the first round of Wimbledon qualifying. The 22-year-old was beaten 6-2 6-7 (1-7) 6-4 by the 197th-ranked Carson Branstine of Canada at the Roehampton qualifying site.
Boisson`s run at Roland-Garros, her Grand Slam main draw singles debut, saw her ranking soar from No. 361 to No. 65, making her the top seed in the Wimbledon qualifying draw. At the French Open, Boisson defeated top-10 players Jessica Pegula and Mirra Andreeva before losing to eventual champion Coco Gauff.
The Wimbledon main draw is scheduled to begin next Monday.
