Emma Raducanu arrived in Eastbourne injury-free, with a growing number of matches under her belt, and she made it clear that she was very happy. The challenge, as she lined up for her opening match at the tournament, was to translate those good vibes into even more wins.
So far, so good. In her tournament debut at the Eastbourne International, the final stop before Wimbledon, Raducanu continued to gain confidence and self-belief on grass as she battled through a tight opening set against the 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens before spectacularly pulling away, winning 6-4, 6-0 to reach the second round.
Raducanu was joined in the second round by the British No 1, Katie Boulter, who maintained the momentum she has built on hard courts and grass this year by defeating Petra Martic of Croatia 6-1, 7-6 (8). Cameron Norrie, however, continued to struggle to find his form: the men’s British No 2 was defeated 7‑6 (9), 6‑3 by Emil Ruusuvuori.
Despite the high-profile opponent across the net, this was clearly an opportunity for Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion. Stephens is one of the most talented players of her generation, an athlete blessed with a brutally heavy forehand and an adaptable all-round style. But since she won the US Open in 2017 and rose to a career-high ranking of No 3 the following year, Stephens’s form has been largely stagnant and she is often too languid.
Early on in the encounter, though, the 31-year-old was disciplined and sharp as she took the upper hand and Raducanu struggled to hit through Stephens’s excellent defence, particularly with her forehand. But in the second half of the set, the intensity and quality soared as both players fought to take the initiative. From 4-4, the set was decided by two intense deuce games. Raducanu served well in the decisive moments to hold serve from 15-40 down before finding her range on her forehand as she snatched the set.
Raducanu then opened up her shoulders and played with total freedom until the end. She obliterated Stephen’s serve, stepping inside the baseline and lasering return winners throughout. She also struck her forehand with total decisiveness as she dictated the entire set. From 3-4 down in the first set, Raducanu ended up winning the final nine games. She left the court understandably satisfied and she signed the camera “my own pace”. She said she was determined to play for herself and to ignore the criticism she has received for certain decisions, such as her choice to opt out of the French Open and the Olympics.
Raducanu said: “I would say it’s just I’m going to do things on my own time, at my own pace, and I’m in no rush to do anything. And everything I’m doing and playing for now is for myself. Whether that’s tournament scheduling, how much time I take off to train compared to compete, I think I’m just way more focused on my own lane and less susceptible to outside opinions or views.”
Raducanu said she felt like she had veered away from doing things for herself in the aftermath of her US Open win, which she is now in the process of correcting.
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“I would say it’s pretty natural, becoming a different person overnight almost with the circumstances,” she said. “Not necessarily myself. At such a young age, it’s easy to get caught up in it. I think at one point I was chasing, playing too many tournaments when I wasn’t ready, and then I was just picking up niggle after niggle in every tournament, because I never really gave myself any time to do the training and the work. I think that’s something I did a lot better this year.”
A much bigger test awaits in the second round as she faces Jessica Pegula, the world No 5, who returned from a lengthy injury layoff during the grass-court season and won her first title on the surface in Berlin last week. For Raducanu, facing off against the best players in the world with little to lose in front of a home crowd is exactly where she wants to be.
