Emma Raducanu ‘really feeling it' at Queen's as she eases into second round
Emma Raducanu admitted she was 'really feeling it' after she overcame early nerves to open her grass court singles season with an emphatic 6-1 6-2 victory over Spanish qualifier Cristina Bucsa and book her place in the second round at Queen's.
The 22-year-old, who secured a first doubles victory with partner Katie Boulter on Monday, revealed before the tournament – the first time Queen's has hosted women's tennis in 52 years – that she was still managing ongoing back issues, playing down expectations for this WTA 500 event which boasts a £1million prize pot.
And though she insisted her hopes were 'staying low', Raducanu was in fine form on centre court – on Monday inaugurated as the Andy Murray Arena – where she dispatched Bucsa in just one hour and four minutes.
'I must say I was quite locked in today,' Raducanu said on court, later telling a press conference: 'I think the biggest thing I'm proud of is just the way I handled the situation.
'But, I mean, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous before the match. The way I overcame that I think is really, for me, a great achievement.
'I think I built my way into the match. I didn't necessarily feel (locked in) from the get-go, but I think as the match went on, I definitely got that. I was really feeling it.'
Those back niggles have not entirely disappeared, but Raducanu was clearly enjoying herself.
She added: 'I play my best when my personality is put on the court and I can express myself, and I feel like sometimes when I've been constrained to play a certain way, it hasn't necessarily worked, and I just need to be free and expressive and then certain moments of creativity can come up.
'I mean, it's easier said than done to be yourself, especially when you're on such a big stage, but for sure when I'm playing freely, when I'm swinging and taking on chances, that is when I'm at my best. Yeah, then I think as that happened today, I could kind of relax into it and more and more could come up.'
Raducanu faces Slovakian Rebecca Sramkova in the round of 16 on Thursday, but next up is round two of the doubles at midday on Wednesday, where she and British number one Boulter will take on Lyudmyla Kichenok and Erin Routliffe, who knocked out the other all-British duo, Sonay Kartal and Jodie Burrage, earlier in the afternoon.
British number one Boulter also punched her ticket to the second round but in much grittier fashion, battling to a 7-6 (4) 1-6 6-4 victory over Australian qualifier Ajla Tomljanovic.
'When I walked out it actually surpassed what I thought it would feel like when I kind of imagined it,' said Boulter, adding: 'I think it's very easy to get caught up in just trying to get your first grass court match, also coming to such an historic venue as well, which holds a lot of purpose and a lot of familiar feelings when I've come here before.'
Earlier, Heather Watson set up a second-round meeting with fourth seed and former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina after upsetting world number 27 Yulia Putintseva 6-4 6-3.
It was not to be for British wildcard Fran Jones, however, who was defeated in straight sets 6-2 6-4 by American McCartney Kessler.
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