Emma Raducanu made a huge statement ahead of the French Open by surging to an impressive victory over Daria Kasatkina in Strasbourg. The former US Open champion had never won a set against her Australian rival prior to their very first meeting on clay, but was a cut above the 28-year-old as she claimed an emphatic 6-1 6-3 victory.
The young Brit had not been expected to appear in another tournament before Roland Garros but decided to accept a wildcard in Strasbourg. It was a strategic move to acclimatise to playing on clay, the surface on which she is least comfortable. It proved to be a masterstroke as she cruised to victory over sixth seed Kasatkina despite having to dig deep in the closing stages.
In addition to laying down a marker ahead of the French Open, Raducanu’s victory will also go towards helping her to secure a Wimbledon seeding. Climbing inside the world’s top 32 would be enough to protect her from the more challenging opponents in the early rounds at SW19.
Raducanu moved quickly to set the tone against Kasatkina and was rewarded for her aggressive style, breaking her rival in the very first game. Her early momentum was hit with an immediate setback, though, as the favour was returned at the next opportunity.
A third straight break arrived in game three as Raducanu capitalised on a handful of unforced errors from her opponent. She held the following serve before breaking Kasatkina again to establish full control of the opening set.
Raducanu turned the screw in the next two games, holding serve and breaking for a third time to win the opening set. It was a very impressive start from the young Brit, who took full advantage of Kasatkina’s mistakes to gain the upper hand.
It was more of the same at the start of the second set with Raducanu dictating the pace of the contest on serve. Kasatkina, meanwhile, struggled to shake off the errors and looked increasingly despondent as the match went on.
Another break arrived shortly afterwards, with Raducanu hitting a stunning return winner. It prompted a fired-up reaction from her coach Mark Petchey, who looked delighted as he got to witness the fruits of his labour from the stands.
A frustrated Kasatkina finally hit back with a break of her own after Raducanu began with a rare double-fault. It took her a moment to regain her composure but she managed it quickly enough to break back in the very next game.
Kasatkina claimed two more breaks shortly afterwards, with the Australian starting to show her fighting spirit. Raducanu, however, was undeterred and dug in her heels to close out the contest on her fourth match point.
She will face Danielle Collins in her next match on Wednesday, with the winner earning a place in the quarter-finals. Collins had to dig deep to beat fellow American player Sofia Kenin in three sets earlier on Monday.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk