Marion Bartoli was impressed with Emma Raducanu’s performance to reach the Italian Open third round for the first time.
The Brit won successive matches on clay for the first time since the 2024 WTA Stuttgart Open after beating Jil Teichmann in Rome.
The Swiss player stepped in to replace Raducanu’s original opponent Ekaterina Alexandrova, who withdrew hours before the match due to a shoulder injury.
Teichmann was given a golden opportunity to play in the main draw after losing in the qualifying rounds, but Emma Raducanu was too strong as she eased into the next round at the Foro Italico.
What did Marion Bartoli like about Emma Raducanu’s latest Italian Open win?
Raducanu’s impressive performance was built on her excellent serving. The 23-year-old won over 70% of points behind her first and second serves, and she faced just one break point throughout the contest which she was able to save.
Raducanu recorded six aces and her searing forehand winners caused Teichmann plenty of problems.
But Marion Bartoli, who watched the match, told Sky Sports that it was Raducanu’s movement she was most impressed with, something she thinks is much improved on clay.
“She has improved so much in her movement,” Bartoli told Sky Sports. “She has always been a great athlete but sometimes on clay she did not know when to slide and when not to slide or how to approach the ball.
“I think she has been really improving in her lower body strength, improving in how to get into position and really hit through the ball and I think that forehand is really the barometer of her game.
“When the forehand is working you know she is comfortable and today the forehand was working really well.
“A really good all round clay court game for Emma Raducanu, it is going to get tougher and tougher as you move into the draw but getting those matches before Roland Garros is always a plus.”
Emma Raducanu reacts after reaching Italian Open third round for the first time
Clay has not been a happy hunting ground for Raducanu in her career so far.
She has yet to win a title on the surface and has claimed just seven wins on clay since the start of 2023.
But Raducanu is aiming to add some more victories to that tally this year and she was delighted with her most recent performance to reach the third round in Rome.
“To be honest it was pretty mental, as I was warming up for my match against Alexandrova and, all of a sudden, I get told I’m playing Jil,” she told Sky Sports Tennis.
“On top of that she’s a left, so a completely different challenge. Honestly, I haven’t practised with a lefty and haven’t played one since February.
“I’m really proud of myself for how I fought through. This is her favourite surface. The first few games I was adjusting to the way the ball curls, but I’m really proud of myself. I fought through and I’m really proud of how I came through that.”
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