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A whopping 257 days had passed since Emma Raducanu last stepped into the competitive arena, and she began her long-awaited comeback with a resilient three-set win in Auckland.
Before her match against Romania’s Elena-Gabriela Ruse at the ASB Classic, Raducanu said she felt physically stronger than before her injuries to both wrists and an ankle. That will inevitably be the most scrutinised element of her game in these early parts of the season, and on Tuesday she looked in good shape, but her mental strength was particularly impressive. After blowing a 5-2 lead in the decider, she pulled herself together and clinched the match 6-3, 4-6, 7-5.
After three surgeries, eight months of rehab – including the use of a wheelchair – coaching questions and injury setbacks, the former US Open champion was finally able to show what she can do on the match court across nearly two and a half hours.
“It’s difficult after having such a long hiatus,” Raducanu said afterwards. “I’m grateful to be healthy, grateful to be moving my body and not bedridden or in a wheelchair. So it’s pretty amazing to just be out here and playing. I’m just really happy to be back on the tour. I can’t wait to start the season then carry on, hopefully injury-free and healthy.”
Raducanu, 21, had a stuttering couple of years since her win in New York, but experiencing this most recent long lay-off means she is now starting from a very low base – ranked 301st in the world.
Her protected ranking does not guarantee her an automatic spot at the Australian Open, beginning on January 14, though due to withdrawals she is now the first alternate to make the main draw. Whether she needs to endure a chastening qualifying event or not, gaining match sharpness ahead of the first major of the year could be crucial. Her win on Tuesday ensures she will play again in Auckland, against a much tougher player, Wimbledon semi-finalist Elina Svitolina.
Argument with umpire in second set
Raducanu’s first-round opponent, Ruse, was a good place to start this comeback. The Romanian is currently teetering outside the top 130, but her level previously placed her just outside the top 50 and she boasts a powerful baseline game.
Raducanu kept her at bay initially, showing serving variety in the first set, solid ball-striking and proactivity on return. She won her third break point opportunity to go 5-3 up and then served out the opener without having faced much pressure.
Raducanu then had two break points in the very next game, which would have put her firmly in control of the second set too, but Ruse held on and the momentum swung in the opposite direction.
At 30-0 down on her own serve in the following game, Raducanu argued against the umpire’s decision to not replay an overruled point and looked momentarily frazzled afterwards, conceding the break with a double fault. Though she broke back in the set, she lost her serve on another double fault and Ruse deservedly pushed the match to a decider.
This was the pressure environment Raducanu had been missing during her time off and she rose to the challenge – if shakily at times. At 2-2, up 30-0 on Ruse’s serve, she hit an audacious drop shot and duly took the break, before extending her lead to 5-2 thanks to Ruse errors.
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