Emma Raducanu battles ill-health to win gruelling French Open first round match – as Brit sets up showdown with defending champion Iga Swiatek
Emma Raducanu battled an aggressive opponent, ill health and the lingering effects of a back spasm to move into the second round of the French Open.
The 22-year-old had her blood pressure and heart rate checked at the end of the first set and was well below-par in the second, but she gritted her teeth and got through 7-5, 4-6, 6-3.
Asked on TNT Sports how she was feeling after the match, Raducanu replied: ‘Not great, I would have felt worse if I’d lost. I was struggling today, really struggling from the start. I was playing a tough opponent, she can take the racquet out of your hands.
‘I was really flat but I’m really happy to have found a way.’
Coach Mark Petchey was busy with his day job commentating for TruTV, so courtside advice for Raducanu was limited to big sister figure Jane O’Donoghue and hitting partner Tom Welsh.
She will hope the broadcasting schedules fall in her favour on Wednesday for her second round: the world No41 will need all the help she can get against four-time champion Iga Swiatek.
Emma Raducanu battled through ill health to book her place in the French Open second round
Raducanu’s blood pressure was taken in the closing stages of the first set against Xinyu Wang
The British star served out the opening set, but Xinyu Wang struck back to force a decider
Raducanu will face the world No5 for the second Grand Slam in a row. It was not pretty in Australia – a 6-1, 6-0 defeat – and even though Swiatek’s form has collapsed since then she is still an enormous favourite.
That is a problem for another day, though. First we must give enormous credit to the way Raducanu scrapped her way through a highly testing encounter with Chinese world No43 Xinyu Wang. She hit her forehand superbly but this win was all about heart and nerve and competitive instincts.
‘I think I can take positives,’ said Raducanu. ‘A lot of top players, in the first round they save match points, really struggle, but they give themselves another opportunity in the draw. That is a big quality that is not necessarily easy to teach. A shot is easier to work on whereas character and heart and fight really came through today and I am really proud of that.’
In coming through, Raducanu recorded Britain’s first victory at Roland Garros since 2023, after last year’s wipeout.
The scoreline read 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, a contest which hovered on a knife edge until Raducanu, wholly unexpectedly, cantered to the finish line.
Raducanu took a 5-3 lead in the opening set but failed to serve out. She broke again for 6-5 and in the changeover summoned the doctor to the court. One assumed it was an issue relating to the back spasm she suffered in defeat to Danielle Collins in Strasbourg last week, but in fact it was more of a GP than a physio appointment.
Raducanu’s blood pressure was taken and the doc used a stethoscope to listen to her chest. She was given a couple of potions to take and was dabbing at her forehead, perhaps suggesting some kind of fever.
Raducanu came out and produced her first love service game of the match to take the set.
A comfortable way to close out the set but there was nothing comfortable about Raducanu at the moment.
Raducanu impressively battled through to secure a 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 victory in the first round
Raducanu will now face Iga Swiatek, who is bidding for a fourth successive French Open title
Wang always looked a dangerous draw, and her massive forehand did significant damage, especially against the Raducanu second serve. She weaved in a few drop shots too and generally presented Raducanu with a puzzle that would have taken some solving time even in the best of health.
Raducanu has increased the rate of spin she applies to her forehand this clay court season, and that allowed to manoeuvre Wang out of position. It was the normally steady backhand which let her down at times.
The press seats were just next to Wang’s camp, and the 23-year-old was grinning and giggling as she spoke to them at 4-1 in the second set. The dice certainly seemed loaded in her favour against an ailing opponent and 4-1 became 5-1.
But Raducanu dug in and chiseled out three games in a row. Who’s laughing now?
‘Fight! Fight!’ yelled Wang’s coach. Fight she did and as the deciding set began she looked an odds-on favourite. But Raducanu swept the first five points of the set, breaking to love.
A second break arrived and, after letting two match points go as she served for it at 5-2, Raducanu struck the decisive blow on the Wang serve.
A tremendous effort and a fine start to Britain’s French Open campaign.
