Emma Raducanu began her Transylvania Open campaign in emphatic style, defeating Greet Minnen in straight sets.
Raducanu, who is competing at the event for the first time since 2021, beat Minnen 6-0, 6-4 and will play Kaja Juvan in the next round.
It was the perfect response by the British number one, who suffered an early Australian Open exit and subsequently parted ways with coach Francisco Roig.
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Raducanu’s Australian Open campaign was certainly disappointing. After defeating Mananchaya Sawangkaew in the first round, she was stunned by Anastasia Potapova.
However, Raducanu appears to have recaptured her form in Cluj, giving British tennis fans hope of a first title for Raducanu since the 2021 US Open.
Following her opening victory against Minnen, Raducanu reflected on her Australian Open experience.
Emma Raducanu says the changing conditions at the Australian Open were ‘very tricky’
“I didn’t feel too comfortable in Australia,” Raducanu said during her post-match press conference.
“It was very tricky because over there depending on the time of day you play, the conditions play so different. So you get adjusted to one and all of a sudden you’re playing in the day and the ball is flying, and it’s very difficult to adjust so quickly.
“But I think I felt much better out there today playing. Indoors obviously helps take out the variable but still I think I’m really proud of what I put out on the court and my whole approach, how I approached the match and how I stuck with it, stayed aggressive all the way through.”
As mentioned previously, Raducanu faces Kaja Juvan in the Transylvania Open second round. Raducanu and Juvan have never played each other on the WTA Tour.
Raducanu will face Maja Chwalinska or Olga Danilovic in the quarter-finals if she defeats Juvan.
The 23-year-old will hope to capitalise on her number one seeding in Cluj as she has a significant opportunity in the Romanian city.
Emma Raducanu’s big opportunity
Emma Raducanu recently had the chance to win her first WTA title since 2021 when she was seeded second at the Hobart International.
Unfortunately for fans of the British tennis star, she was dumped out of the competition in the second round by Australia’s Taylah Preston.
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Raducanu again has a superb opportunity, this time in Cluj. Seeded first at the event, Raducanu is the clear favourite for the title.
Jacqueline Cristian represents the biggest threat to Raducanu’s chances of lifting the title. Cristian, the second seed, is ranked 35th in the world: five places below Raducanu.
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