Emma Raducanu received some words of encouragement from Katie Boulter after losing 7-6(13), 3-6, 4-6 in a gruelling three-hour Rothesay Open semi-final that was played across two days.
After rain postponed the semi on Saturday following Raducanu’s first-set victory, the ‘Battle of the Brits’ resumed the following day in front of a packed house in Nottingham, but the 2021 US Open champion was unable to find her groove once again.
Wearing strapping on her knee, likely as a result of the heavy fall she took that accompanied complaints about a slippery surface, she struggled in a comfortable second-set win for Boulter, whose serve was broken for the first time in the entire match late in the third.
Boulter had led 4-2 in the decider and was on course to sail to victory, but Raducanu showcased her grit and determination to immediately break back.
The 21-year-old was muttering “fight” throughout the contest and with Boulter serving for the match at 5-4, Raducanu battled as she broke the defending champion yet again.
However, Raducanu’s new serve did not pay dividends and she was broken yet again as Boutler survived a big scare to book her place in the final later in the day.
Boulter joked that she needed a “defib” to calm her heart rate down after a thrilling end to a match that delighted the crowd in Nottingham, with both players receiving a standing ovation before Boulter praised her opponent.
“What a match. What an incredible player,” Boulter said of Raducanu. “She’s only gonna get better and better. She makes it so tough for you to close it out. I’m just so happy to get through today. I’m proud of myself.
“It’s been a really tough week for me. It hasn’t been easy to get myself over the line. It’s tough to come back as defending champion. I’ve actually never done it before. This is the first time for me. So far it’s going pretty good. I just need you guys (crowd in Nottingham) to get me over the line in the next one.”
One silver lining for Raducanu is that as she continues her comeback from injury, having skipped the French Open, she will not have to play two matches in the same day after delays forced tournament organisers to schedule the semis and final all on Sunday.
With battle scars from her fall in the first set on Saturday marked by strapping on Raducanu’s left knee, her fitness won’t be further impacted this evening and instead Boulter will look to defend her crown against Karolina Pliskova.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk