Emma Raducanu has made a winning start at the Italian Open, defeating Maya Joint in her opener in Rome.
Raducanu is enjoying working under Mark Petchey, having had various coaching distractions in her brief career so far.
However, despite those issues and indeed many injury problems, Raducanu has enjoyed great success so far.
The Briton won the US Open in 2021, and managed to reach number 10 in the WTA Tour rankings the following year.
But Raducanu is currently fully focused on the 2025 Italian Open, the latest WTA 1000 event in the 2025 schedule.
Emma Raducanu praises ‘amazing’ Italian Open crowd after first round win
And she has earned a place in the second round of the competition, having beaten Joint 7-5, 6-7(1-7), 6-3.
Speaking immediately after the victory, she told Sky Sports Tennis: “I think the level was really high today. Maya played so aggressively and any time I dropped the ball a tiny bit short she was all over it.
“So I am really proud of how I came through. It was really difficult to play and to close the match out was extremely hard. But the crowd and the support was amazing, given it is almost 11 o’clock at night and I really felt it.”
Emma Raducanu can still improve but deserves praise after passing Italian Open test
Unseeded at the Italian Open, Raducanu now faces Ekaterina Alexandrova in round two, with the latter the 21st seed.
But the former should be full of confidence, both given her battling display and the fact that it was her first-ever win in Rome.
In a gruelling two-hour, 44-minute clash, the 22-year-old former British number one finally made it past her 19-year-old Australian opponent.
With four double faults, six of 15 break points converted and four of eight break points saved, there is certainly room for improvement, but she will be glad to have made it through the battle first and foremost.
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