Emma Raducanu has made a winning start at the WTA 500 tournament in Seoul but it didn’t come without drama after the Briton struggled to close out the first set as well as the match.
On Tuesday, the former world No . 10 played her first match since a devastating US Open first-round loss that left her crying and confessing that she felt “down.”
And it was a successful return for the British tennis star, who claimed a tight 7-6 (4) 7-6 (5) win over world No. 48 Peyton Stearns despite nearly blowing big leads in both sets.
Emma Raducanu and Peyton Stearns© X screenshot
In her next match, 70th-ranked Raducanu will battle against eighth-seeded Yuan Yue for a place in the Seoul quarterfinal.
Raducanu struggled but ultimately fended off Stearns
Early in the match, the Briton blew a break but responded with back-to-back breaks to open what seemed like a comfortable 4-1 lead – but then dropped the next four games – before winning the following games to go again 6-5 up.
With a chance to serve out for the first set, the 2021 US Open champion missed out on two set points as the American managed to force a tie-break.
After blowing multiple great chances to seal the opener, Raducanu also found herself 1-3 down in the tie-break but impressively won the next five points to take a 6-3 lead before finally realizing her fourth set point.
At the start of the second set, the former world No. 10 missed some break points but also saved a couple of break points before getting the first break of the set in the eighth game for a 5-3 lead and a chance to serve out for the match.
But then, the real drama starts as the 21-year-old failed to serve out for the match and then also lost her serve in the 11th game and Stearns went 6-5 up and had a chance to serve out for a decider. Luckily for Raducanu, she didn’t allow the American to serve out for the set and then also opened a 3-0 lead in the second-set tie-break before realizing her second match point at 6-5 for a straight-set win.