New York,Ā Aug 25:
Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu finally ended her jinx at Flushing Meadows by breezing past Japan’s Ena Shibahara 6-1 6-2 in the first round on Sunday. This was Raducanu’s first win at the US Open since her title triumph in 2021, when she won the grand slam as a qualifier.
In her last two attempts at the US Open, Raducanu failed to go past the first round. However, the 22-year-old was in prime form during her performance against Shibahara, as she needed just 62 minutes to reach the next round. Raducanu will face the winner of the match between 24th seed Veronika Kudermetova and Indonesian qualifier Janice Tjen.
The British star breezed through the first set with just four unforced errors, winning the first five games as Shibahara did herself no favours in the match by committing with a pair of early double faults. Raducanu once again got off to a hot start and won the first four games on the trot and then exhausted the only break point she faced in the sixth game.