Emma Raducanu said she was able to play with “clarity” as the British No 1 opened her grass-court campaign with a 6-0 6-3 victory over qualifier Anna Blinkova at the HSBC Championships at Queen’s Club.
Playing for the first time since her “difficult” first-round exit at the French Open last month, Raducanu was able to give an example of the work she has been putting in after reuniting with US Open-winning coach Andrew Richardson.
The 23-year-old said at the start of the year that she wanted to get back to her “natural” way of playing, in comments that came prior to splitting with former coach Francisco Roig after the Australian Open.
Raducanu took on an aggressive approach as she raced through the opening set without dropping a game and was able to handle the breezy conditions in the second set to set up a second-round match against seventh seed Sorana Cirstea, the French Open quarter-finalist.
In a promising sign, Raducanu looked ready to take the ball on early on the grass, and said: “I feel like I started extremely well, and I think despite not having played a lot of matches, I was really pleased with how I came out and was playing very free.
“I think I was just feeding off of the atmosphere, and it felt free, it felt clear, and a lot of clarity. Not necessarily thinking too much, not trying to do too much. It felt very natural.”
Raducanu, who won her first match since beating Anastasia Zakharova at Indian Wells in March, has barely played in recent months as she looked to recover from a post-viral illness but agreed her performance was a blueprint for her ahead of Wimbledon.
“I think it was a really good stepping stone,” she said. “The way I was feeling on the court, the way I was moving, the way I was expressing myself. Just the whole package, not necessarily the tennis, just how I kind of was acting on the court, I really enjoyed it.
“I think that's something that I want to take forward in all of my matches and really embrace this grass court season.”
It took fellow Briton Katie Boulter significantly longer to upset Canada’s Leylah Fernandez – the same woman Raducanu beat in that US Open final – 3-6 7-6 (4) 7-5.
Their encounter began on a rain-delayed Monday and picked up again at the Andy Murray Arena, where Boulter ultimately fought back from a set and a break down to claim victory on home soil in a two-hour, 45-minute battle.
The British duo, christened “Boultercanu” when they paired up in the doubles last year, partnered again this time, but were beaten by Zhang Shuai and Storm Hunter after a Tuesday evening match tie-break.
Earlier in the singles, British number four Francesca Jones and 17-year-old Briton Mika Stojsavljevic were both beaten in straight sets.
Includes reporting from PA
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