A rampant Emma Raducanu finally ended her four-year wait for a match win at the US Open with a convincing opening-round win at Flushing Meadows.
World No 35 Raducanu faced little trouble against qualifier Ena Shibahara in the opening match of the tournament on Court Louis Armstrong, breezing towards a 6-1, 6-2 victory.
Raducanu had not won a match in New York since her stunning 2021 triumph at the tournament, becoming the first qualifier to ever win a Grand Slam title.
The Brit was beaten by Alize Cornet in the opening round in 2022, making her just the fourth defending US Open champion to lose in round one, and was absent due to injury in 2023.
She then fell to fellow Grand Slam champion Sofia Kenin in 2024, though was handed a golden chance to end her disappointing run against world No 130 Shibahara on Sunday.
The Japanese had come through qualifying to reach the main draw and had made the second round at this event in 2024, though she struggled to settle from the outset.
Raducanu took advantage of her opponent’s shaky start and faced little trouble in racing to a 5-0 lead, eventually closing out the opener in just 26 minutes after Shibahara held to avoid a bagel set.
She quickly moved into a 4-0 lead in the second set and overcame a late surge from her opponent to prevail in just 62 minutes, becoming the first match winner of this year’s US Open.
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“Of course, I’m very, very pleased to have won that match,” said Raducanu. “It’s my first win here since 2021, so it’s extra special.
“First rounds are always difficult, especially at a Slam, there are nerves, and I’m just so happy with the way I came through that.
“Playing Ena, she’s really tricky, she hit so many balls on the baseline that I was not expecting to just dip. She obviously came through qualifying, and it’s always you know, you [a qualifier]feel like you have a bit of an advantage, you’re playing on the surface and know what it feels like.
“I’m just very pleased with how I managed myself, managed my game through that match.”
Ranked 35th in the world heading into the tournament, Raducanu just missed out on a seeding in the main draw.
