Emma Raducanu shares ‘right muppet’ concern after hilarious mistake in Billie Jean King Cup victory
Emma Raducanu produced one of the best performances of her career to shock Caroline Garcia in the Billie Jean King Cup – though was initially a little premature with her celebrations.
In a crucial showdown between former US Open champion Raducanu and former world No 4 Garcia, it was the vastly experienced Frenchwoman who had the edge early on.
A clear favourite for victory, Garcia eased her way to a 6-3, 2-0 lead on the indoor clay in Le Portel, only for Raducanu to battle back in stunning fashion.
On a surface she has comparatively little experience on, the 21-year-old rallied to seal a hugely impressive 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over the world No 23 – making it the sixth-best win of her career by ranking.
Raducanu was ultimately able to close out the contest in style but the match may be most remembered for a surreal moment where the Brit thought she had initially prevailed.
After holding for a 5-1 lead the world No 302 lifted her arms up in celebration – only to quickly realise she was still a game away from actually winning the rubber.
“It was quite embarrassing,” said Raducanu of her mistake in her on-court interview.
The moment Emma thought she’d won the moment she actually won @EmmaRaducanu | @BJKCup | #BackTheBrits pic.twitter.com/V6FrBB5el7
— LTA (@the_LTA) April 12, 2024
“All I was thinking was, ‘If I lose this right now, I’m going to look like a right muppet’. I’m very happy that I managed to pull it through.
“I was completely the underdog, especially going out here in her house, on clay. I definitely turned it around. I fought really hard, I dug in.
“That was a really good test for myself because I hadn’t had those level matches very often. I’m very pleased with my performance and I’m very, very happy to bring this point home for the team and go into tomorrow 1-1.”
Raducanu was able to level the tie for Great Britain and give the underdogs a chance of overall victory, after a disappointing result for Katie Boulter.
The 27-year-old has been one of the form players on the WTA so far in 2024 but has little to no experience on clay, and was comfortably beaten 6-2, 6-0 by Diane Parry.
Boulter told reporters: “I have to get better on the clay. It’s such a learning experience and it’s a really good learning experience for me.
“I know my base level is there and that I can play some really good stuff. Practice has been awesome. The scoreline was tough but I felt it was a lot closer than it seemed.”
Tomorrow will see Boulter look to get back to winning ways when she faces Garcia in a battle of the national No 1’s, while Raducanu will take on Parry.
Harriet Dart and Heather Watson will join forces to take on Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic in the potentially decisive doubles rubber.
