British player Emma Raducanu prevailed in her first match at Roland Garros despite being ill, and will meet with Iga Swiatek for the second round, mimicking the script of Australian Open earlier this year. Raducanu defeated Chinese player Wang Xinyu 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 in 2 hours and 44 minutes.
The British player became the first British woman to win a singles major since Virginia Walde in 1977, but that was 2021. Her level has decreased since then and she hasn't won any other WTA titles, dropping to world No. 43. However, it is not for lack of trying, and her hard-fought victory against Xinyu is proof of that.
The last time Raducanu and Xinyu met was in 2021, when just two months after her win in the US Open, she was defeated in three sets. Four years later, Radunau took revenge, and will face World No. 5 Iga Swiatek. Raducanu has never won the Polish player (including a painful 6-0, 6-1 defeat in Australia this year), but has come the closest on clay.
"It's been an incredibly difficult few years for me" Raducanu said on WTA website. "I don't think I'm necessarily out of the woods - I'm still figuring things out. I'm just happy with this week how I've been able to leave things off the court, go on the court with a pretty clear head and fight for every point".
Emma Raducanu will take on Iga Swiatek on Wednesday, May 28.