EMMA AT HOME ON CENTRE STAGE
Raducanu puts recent injury troubles behind her to see off big-hitting Belgian
EMMA RADUCANU will hopefully enjoy many great days on Centre Court but her first baby steps proved to be rewarding ones.
The US Open champion overcame a tense start to dispatch the dangerous Belgian Alison van Uytvanck in her first competitive appearance on the hallowed turf.
Life has been full of firsts for the teenage Briton over the past year – not all of them good – so to put aside her sketchy preparations and come through victorious 6-4 6-4 was a relief.
After her half-an-hour on the grass at the Nottingham Open three weeks ago, Raducanu was predictably up and down but showed tremendous feistiness to put away the world No.46, who had already won two grasscourt titles this month.
Her big-hitting opponent offered plenty of problems but gradually Raducanu found the solutions and, by the end, was purring nicely. After the stutters and injuries that followed her stunning New York triumph, nothing was guaranteed. “I’m just so happy to stay another day,” Raducanu told the crowd.
After the earlier rain, the sun shone on her yesterday – blue sky with late afternoon sunshine, this was how Centre Court was supposed to look.
It will have been the scene she pictured a million times in her daydreams – it was a pity then that at no point in her match was it anywhere near full.
Solid as the home support was, with an array of pro-Raducanu leftover Jubilee merchandise on show, for one of the most eagerlyawaited moments of these championships to be played out in front of a wall of green seats was a great shame.
Centre Court was sold out yesterday and, if those lucky enough to have tickets could not be bothered to take them up after sitting through Novak Djokovic’s match then it reflected pretty badly on them.
Those inside thoroughly enjoyed the ride, though.
Raducanu had to dig deep from the start, saving three break points in her opening service game, but she found a way.
After the niggling doubt over whether she would even play at all, her safe passage into the second
round was a huge boost personally and for the championships.
The first break, when it came for Raducanu in the seventh game, was gifted by a double fault from the Belgian, but she had set it up with a searing return.
After surrendering her next service game to love she dished out the same medicine to the Belgian. She closed the set
out, from 15-40 down, at the second time of asking as her aggressive strokes found their range.
Van Uytvanck had to save six break points to hold in the opening game of the second set but landed the first punch after the best rally of the game to go 3-1 up.
Raducanu, though, broke straight back to love and the increasing pressure she applied
on her opponent’s serve took its toll when Van Uytvanck again double-faulted to give the 19-year-old the chance to serve out the match.
She duly did so and celebrated with a skip, a spin and a megawatt grin of joy and relief.
“I’m looking forward to hopefully playing in front of you guys again,” she told the crowd on Centre Court.