Emma Raducanu continued her impressive run on clay courts with a commanding victory over former world No. 8 Daria Kasatkina at the Internationaux de Strasbourg.
Supported by her new coach Mark Petchey, Raducanu displayed excellent movement and dictated play against Kasatkina, securing a decisive 6-1, 6-3 win. This WTA 500 event serves as her final preparatory tournament before the French Open begins on Sunday.
Following three consecutive wins at the Italian Open last week, the British No. 2 maintained her strong form and earned her first victory against Kasatkina, having lost their three previous encounters.
Raducanu started the match sharply, breaking Kasatkina in the opening game. Despite being broken back immediately, she quickly regrouped and won the next five games to take the first set comfortably in just 29 minutes on the Strasbourg clay.
Closing out the match proved slightly more challenging in the second set. Raducanu missed her first two match points. Kasatkina saved a third before Raducanu finally converted on her fourth opportunity to seal the victory in a second set that saw frequent service breaks.
Raducanu, who received a wild card to enter the tournament after not initially planning to compete, is set to face American Danielle Collins in the next round. Collins advanced by defeating her compatriot Sofia Kenin in three sets.
Raducanu: “I`m starting to like clay more and more”
Speaking after her match, Raducanu expressed satisfaction with her performance. “I`m really proud of my performance. How I came out and I was really aggressive,” she commented. “I also managed to maintain my focus in the second set when it was getting close and Daria was playing some great points when I was trying to serve the match out, so I`m really proud of today`s performance.”
She added that her recent results have been building momentum. “I think I`ve been building towards this. It`s a great feeling because I think I had three great matches in Rome and the fourth I played an opponent who was better than me on the day [Coco Gauff]. To kind of bring that level here, I`m really proud. But I think as I spend more time on clay I`m starting to like it a little bit more and more. I`m building my relationship with the surface.”
Analysis of Raducanu`s Performance
Raducanu demonstrated a mature and varied game against the current world No. 17. She won a variety of points, effectively employing slices and drop shots, showcasing her current confidence. Her movement on the clay was notably strong.
Under the guidance of Andy Murray`s former coach Petchey and long-time ally Jane O`Donoghue, Raducanu appears to be in a positive place and playing some of her best tennis in recent years, particularly as she continues to adapt and find her rhythm on clay.
