Emma Raducanu has kicked off her latest US Open campaign with an emphatic 6-1, 6-2 win over Ena Shibahara in the first round.
The British world No.35 was in full control throughout the majority of her 62-minute match against qualifier Shibahara, who is yet to beat a top 50 player in her career. Radcanu’s one-sided victory featured a total of seven winners as she capitalized on her opponent’s unforced error tally of 36.
“I’m very pleased to have won that match. It’s my first win here since 2021, so it’s extra special,” Raducanu said during her on-court interview.
“The first round is always difficult, especially at a Slam. There are nerves, and I’m just so happy with the way I came through that.
“Playing against Ena, she’s really tricky. She hit so many balls on the baseline that I was not expecting to just dip. She came through qualifying and you feel like you have a bit of an advantage…. playing on the surface, and you know what it feels like.
“So I’m just very pleased with how I managed myself, managed my game through that match.”
After her historic run to the title four years ago in which she won 10 matches in a row as a qualifier, Raducanu had failed to record any more victories at Flushing Meadows until now. Losing in the first round in 2022 and 2024, as well as missing the 2023 edition due to injury.
“I really struggled when I came back in 2022,” Raducanu told reporters before her match against Shibahara. “I didn’t enjoy coming back here.
“I think now is the first time that I feel like I can come back to the US Open and really enjoy the memories that I made here and be proud of that and see it as a happy place.”
Raducanu has plenty of confidence heading into this year’s US Open after a promising stint in the lead-up events, where she made the semi-finals in Washington before reaching the third round in Montreal and Cincinnati.
Playing at the Louis Armstrong Stadium, she got off to a dream start against Shibahara by racing to a 5-0 lead in just over 20 minutes before the Japanese player managed to win a game. Then, on her first set point opportunity, she converted by hitting a smash at the net.
A similar story unfolded in the second frame with Raducanu dictating proceedings. This time, she won four games in a row en route to closing in on the win. Shibahara managed to avoid being bagelled but that was as good as it got for her. Serving for a place in the second round, Raducanu converted her first match point with the help of another mistake coming from across the court.
“I’m very happy. I got amazing people in my corner,” Raducanu said of her team in New York, which is headed by new coach Francisco Roig.
“It makes every day the work feel a lot more enjoyable, pleasurable.
“I see the progress that I’m making on the practice court. It might not come straight away, but I know over time I’m just racking up good days building. I feel like it has to go somewhere.”
Raducanu is now 12-2 when it comes to playing first round Grand Slam matches so far in her career and is 4-1 against players ranked outside the top 100 this season. Her next test at the US Open will be against either 24th seed Veronika Kudermetova or Janice Tjen, who is the first Indonesian player to contest a main draw singles match in New York since 2004.
