Emma Raducanu fought until late on Thursday evening in a high-stakes, thrilling match at Melbourne Park. Despite her efforts, she was unable to defeat China’s Wang Yafan, who played with great control and ultimately won 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, advancing to the third round of the Australian Open.
After an eight-month break, Raducanu triumphed over Shelby Rogers in two sets, marking her first grand slam victory. Two days later, she faced the same opponent at the 1573 Arena in Melbourne, aiming for her first win in the second round. Fellow British players Cameron Norrie and Katie Boulter had already played on the same court, resulting in a noticeable outpour of support from their home country.
In 2019, Wang was ranked in the top 50 but due to extended breaks and a decline in performance, she dropped to the top 500. However, she made a comeback last year and dominated the ITF circuit by winning 37 out of 40 matches. This led to her current ranking of No. 97. Despite her small stature and lack of power, Wang’s exceptional agility, strategic thinking, and effective top-spin forehand allow her to outplay her opponents.
Raducanu had difficulty finding her accuracy, while Wang played flawlessly in the first set. Wang relentlessly retrieved numerous shots, limited her mistakes, and controlled the game with her forehand whenever she could. Due to the slower conditions, Raducanu had trouble hitting her shots past Wang and made more errors. Wang continued her strong performance by breaking Raducanu’s serve in the second set, taking a 6-4, 2-0 lead.
As the game appeared to be slipping out of her grasp, Raducanu experienced a resurgence. She started to hit shots with more width, pulling Wang out of position with angled shots and maintaining her strength in longer rallies. The key factor was Raducanu’s ability to unleash powerful forehand shots and take charge of the rallies. She was able to regain the break and gain control of the game. Despite missing two set points on her serve at 5-3, she bounced back and broke for the set.
The last round started with a series of vigorous back-and-forth plays between the competitors, as they strategically moved each other across the court. Most of the rallies lasted for more than nine shots. Raducanu showed signs of fatigue and struggled to catch her breath, even coughing and gagging at times. Trailing 2-0, she requested a medical break and received medication from the doctor on the court.
Although Raducanu’s body managed to withstand the pressure of a long and challenging match, her stomach did not fare as well. In the third set, she reported feeling unwell and even experienced some nausea.
Raducanu stated that she suddenly began feeling ill and weak during the match, experiencing nausea and vomiting. She believes that it was evident to everyone watching that the third set was physically challenging for her. Despite feeling fine in terms of her body, she was struggling with vomiting and eventually had to deal with it after the match ended. She assures that she is now feeling better and will move on from the incident, although she is disappointed with its timing.
However, she remained determined not to surrender. After Wang persevered through a third lengthy deuce game in a row to take a 3-1 lead, the intense and unpredictable third set had already lasted 48 minutes. Raducanu put up a strong fight, capitalizing on chances during Wang’s service games until the very end, but Wang managed to hold on and secure an impressive win.
Raducanu missed out on a potential win in the early rounds, but after a prolonged break for surgery on her hands and ankle, the most important aspect of this outcome is that she was able to compete. She completed the match without aggravating her previous injuries, and the three hours of intense play did not result in any new injuries. Considering her extended absence from competition, expectations should be kept modest.
Building form and facing defeats are necessary steps in the training process, which takes time and consistent effort. The key for Raducanu is to maintain momentum and continue training and competing regularly. Only then will she have the chance to gauge her abilities and reach her potential.
“I have no fear in committing to my movement, training, and tennis,” she stated. “I am feeling more confident than ever and am grateful to be playing without pain. It’s a bonus that I never thought I would have. Now, I will continue to push myself with more training, time in the gym, hard work, and consistency.”
