Emotional Emma Raducanu reacts after winning her opening match at the Eastbourne International

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Emma Raducanu was looking to bounce back from her defeat at Queen’s by securing a big win in her Eastbourne opener.

The British number one exited the Queen’s Club Championships at the quarterfinal stage when Raducanu lost to Qinwen Zheng in straight sets 2-6, 4-6.

Aggravating a pre-existing back injury at Queen’s, Raducanu withdrew from the Berlin Open WTA 500 event and instead chose to make her return at the Eastbourne International.

She didn’t get off to the best of starts in Eastbourne, dropping the first set to America’s Ann Li in a tiebreaker 6-7 [5-7].

Fighting back, Raducanu secured the win in three sets 6-7, 6-3, 6-1, to book her place in the second round, where she’ll take on teenage sensation Maya Joint.

After battling through a tough first-round match, Raducanu was visibly emotional during her post-match interview, as she reflected on the contest.

Emma Raducanu is ‘really proud’ of how she overcame windy conditions to beat Ann Li in Eastbourne

An emotional Raducanu was keen to thank the fans at Eastbourne after winning her opening match on Centre Court.

“I feel incredible, I just want to thank the crowd for getting me through some really sticky moments,” she said.

“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 [Li] was hitting winners all over the place, it was obviously very windy. I’m just very happy to have come through that today, so thank you.

“It was tough, it was up and down, but I really think that from the middle of the second set I found an extra gear, an extra level, and I’m really proud of how I came through that.”

Both players struggled to hold serve in the windy conditions on Tuesday, although it was Raducanu who adapted best to secure the win.

Raducanu was then asked to comment on her relationship with Mark Petchey, as she joked about the hierarchy of her coaching team.

“It’s working really well, I had head coach Fran Jones and assistant coach Mark Petchey out there today, but it was really nice to have a lot of support,” she said.

“It’s going really well with Mark, I’m looking forward to playing tomorrow and then looking forward to Wimbledon as well.”

Petchey and Raducanu have been working together on a part-time basis since the Miami Open earlier this year, where the Brit enjoyed her career-best WTA 1000 performance, reaching the quarterfinals, where she fell to top-five star Jessica Pegula.

Who is Emma Raducanu’s second-round opponent – Maya Joint?

Next up for Raducanu is Australian 19-year-old, Joint, who produced a mightily impressive win over two-time Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur to advance to the second round.

The win was her first WTA Tour main draw victory on grass, as she continues to make improvements to her game.

Joint is currently ranked 51st in the world and has one WTA title to her name, following her victory in Rabat earlier this year.

Maya Joint’s run to the 2025 Morocco Open title

• 2025 Morocco Open F – Maya Joint beat Jaqueline Cristian, 6-3, 6-2
• 2025 Morocco Open SF – Maya Joint beat Ajla Tomljanovic, 6-4 (RET)
• 2025 Morocco Open QF – Maya Joint beat Ann Li, 6-2, 6-1
• 2025 Morocco Open 2R – Maya Joint beat Katie Volynets, 6-0, 6-3
• 2025 Morocco Open 1R – Maya Joint beat Ana Konjuh, 7-5, 6-2

A successful junior, Joint passed up on the opportunity to represent the Texas Longhorns tennis team, instead turning professional in October 2024.

She made the decision following her maiden Grand Slam main draw win at Flushing Meadows, when she defeated Laura Siegemund in her opener.

Joint would no doubt love to secure another big win when she takes on Raducanu in the second round of the Eastbourne International and move one step closer to her second WTA title.

Only time will tell who will emerge victorious, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action when Raducanu and Joint face off for a place in the Eastbourne International quarterfinals on Wednesday, June 25.