Emma Raducanu comes through ‘mental’ second-round match after last-minute switch
Emma Raducanu produced an impressive performance against Jil Teichmann to reach the third round of the Rome Masters.
The Brit was due to face world No 22 Ekaterina Alexandrova, but the Russian was forced to withdraw just hours before their scheduled meeting due to a shoulder injury.
“To be honest, it was pretty mental,” Raducanu said during her post-match interview.
“I was warming up for my match against Alexandrova, practising with Mirra [Andreeva], and all of a sudden I get told I’m playing Jil and then, on top of that. She’s a lefty. So it’s a completely different challenge.
“I honestly haven’t practised with a lefty; I haven’t played one since [Marketa] Vondrousova in February in Abu Dhabi. So it was a challenge. First few games I was adjusting to the way the ball curls, but I’m really proud of myself, how I fought through.”
Despite the switch, the Brit looked in solid form during the match, winning an impressive 73% of her first-serve points and 65% of her second-serve points – partly aided by a slight change in her service motion, brought on by team member Mark Petchey.
“If you look at my serve now compared to Australia, compared to the Middle East, even Miami, I changed after Miami with some tweaks and it’s a completely different motion, trying to make it a bit more fluid, a bit longer so it’s hopefully more robust under pressure, but it’s by no means a finished product,” analysed Raducanu.
“I feel there’s so much more room to grow it. I think this way, I can maximise the potential.”
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Currently ranked as the world No 45 in the WTA live rankings, Raducanu has an outside chance of being seeded at the French Open – needing to be inside the world’s top 32, if there are no withdrawals.
“I still don’t really feel comfortable on clay but in a way it helps me, because I have to be super focused on every single point, just get my feet right and try and not fall over, so it is a big challenge,” said the one-time Grand Slam champion.
“The points are long, the balls do get heavier, and when I was serving it out, it was getting slower and slower, so it is physical but I’m slowly finding my feet.”
Her win also allows Raducanu to spend longer in the Italian capital, something which she has sought to maximise with some sightseeing.
“I tried to come to site pretty late,” the Brit stated.
“I actually managed to go to the Trevi Fountain but I didn’t make a wish though, the queue was too long and I didn’t have a coin!
“It was nice to kind of see the sights and then I had a nice lunch outside on a terrace somewhere on the street, it was pretty chill.”
The 2021 US Open champion will next play Veronika Kudermetova in the third round of the Rome Masters.
