Emma Raducanu is back to winning ways at the US Open after defeating Ena Shibahara in round one.
Raducanu had not won at the US Open since her 2021 triumph, when she clinched her only Grand Slam title to date.
But WTA number 36 Raducanu has stormed into the second round of the tournament in New York after a 6-1, 6-2 win over Shibahara.
Raducanu left Martina Navratilova impressed after the victory, with the Briton now taking on Janice Tjen in the second round.
Like Shibahara, Tjen made it through qualifying to reach the main draw before stunning 24th seed Veronika Kudermetova in round one.
Emma Raducanu explains how the US Open crowd differs to Wimbledon
But Raducanu will largely be focused on her own game following her hard-fought win, after which she said of the US Open fans: “I love the crowd, I really liked playing on Armstrong today, the crowd were great.
“I think New York is always different, it’s a bit challenging in terms of there is always so much going on, whether you are in the city, at the hotel or on the way to the courts.
“If there’s traffic it takes an hour but it’s something we all go through. I personally love the buzz, I love how into it the crowd get, it’s very different to Wimbledon.
“But I think that is what makes each Slam so unique and so special, that there’s a bit of a different feeling wherever you go.
“I think you can definitely go for it and get the crowd involved. You see some of the American guys, they do it so well.
“I think today I was very calm on the court but I think the crowd love it if you are getting pumped and celebrating a lot.”
How did Emma Raducanu win the 2021 US Open final?
Raducanu needed just over an hour to beat Shibahara at Louis Armstrong Stadium, one of the iconic courts at Flushing Meadows.
It was, however, at Arthur Ashe Stadium where she overcame Leylah Fernandez to win the 2021 US Open.
In truly stunning fashion, the 18-year-old qualifier lifted the prestigious trophy on her US Open main draw debut.
She defeated 19-year-old Fernandez 6-4, 6-3, ending Britain’s 44-year wait for a women’s Grand Slam singles winner.
Fittingly, 1977 Wimbledon champion Virginia Wade was in attendance for the final, having also been the last British woman to win the US Open, which she did in 1968.
The teenager earned $2.5million in prize money for her success, as well as claiming the British number one title.
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