'Very happy to have battled through' - Emma Raducanu eases past Storm Sanders in Stuttgart first round
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ByEurosport
Updated 20/04/2022 at 17:49 GMT
Emma Raducanu had little trouble overcoming Storm Sanders in her first-ever clay-court match in a WTA tour event, dropping just three games en route to the second round. Raducanu beat Tereza Martincova and lost to Marketa Vondrousova in the Billie Jean King Cup last week. Despite suffering heavy blistering in her loss to Vondrousova, Raducanu has bounced back in style.
Emma Raducanu
Image credit: Getty Images
Emma Raducanu is into the second round of the Stuttgart Open after a 6-1 6-2 win in 70 minutes against qualifier Storm Sanders.
The British number one suffered severe blistering in her 6-1 6-1 defeat to Marketa Vondrousova at the Billie Jean King Cup last Friday.
But the 2021 US Open winner showed no signs of injury against Sanders, dropping just three games against the Australian world No. 197 in only her third professional match on clay.
After Raducanu's fourth win of her campaign, she will play lucky loser Tamara Korpatsch in the next round.
The eighth seed said after the match: "At the US Open I think the biggest thing was just having zero expectation and just going out there and having fun every single match, having a swing and I think that’s something that overtime I’ve definitely developed and starting to do more and more.
"I’m just really enjoying my tennis at the moment."
She added: “I feel like there were many long, long deuce games so I’m very happy to have battled through against Storm.
"She’s played two matches in qualifying but she’s a great opponent, we played last year and it was extremely tricky so I’m just really happy to have somehow found a way to come through those long games and put on a good performance.”
Raducanu has been affected by illness and injury this season and admitted afterwards she was not sure last week how fit she would be for the tournament.
"This time last week I was practicing in Prague and I genuinely didn’t know how to move," she said.
"The fitness trainer was teaching me how to slide using a medicine ball. So I’m really pleased with how I’ve improved in a week.”
Raducanu secured breaks in the fourth and sixth games of the opening set and was dominant on her serve, landing 83 per cent of her first serves.
The second set was similarly straightforward for Raducanu as she went a break up in the opening service game before going a double break in the fifth game. The 19-year-old sealed the match on her second match point.
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