Emma Raducanu battled late into Thursday night in an intense, dramatic tussle under the lights of Melbourne Park, but she could not hold off Wang Yafan of China, whose disciplined performance narrowly edged her through 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 to reach the third round of the Australian Open.
Two days after defeating Shelby Rogers in straight sets to win her first grand slam match after an eight-month layoff, Raducanu returned to the same court, 1573 Arena, searching for her first second-round win in Melbourne. With two British players, Cameron Norrie and Katie Boulter, preceding her on the same court, the British support was instantly loud and clear.
A former top-50 player in 2019 who fell out of the top 500 due to lengthy absences and poor form, Wang returned with an edge last year, winning 37 of 40 matches on the ITF circuit last summer and rising back to her current ranking of No 97. Wang is small and relatively underpowered, but she moves extremely well, is intelligent and uses a wicked top-spin forehand to outmanoeuvre opponents.
As Raducanu struggled to find her range, Wang was faultless for much of the opening set. She chased down countless balls, kept her unforced error count low and dictated with her forehand whenever possible. In the slower conditions, Raducanu struggled to hit through Wang and her error count rose. After taking the first set, Wang immediately broke serve to take a 6-4, 2-0 lead.
Just as the match seemed to be moving away from her, Raducanu found a second wind. She began to find more width, dragging Wang off the court with angles and she remained strong in longer rallies. Most importantly, Raducanu finally began to unload on her forehand, injecting it with pace while looking to dominate rallies. She quickly retrieved the break, then took control. Even after she failed to convert two set points on her serve at 5-3, she recovered to break for the set.
The final set began with some of the most intense exchanges of the match, with both players manoeuvring each other around the court and the vast majority of rallies lasting over nine shots. Raducanu was clearly tired and as she tried to catch her breath between points, the Briton began to cough and gag a little. Down 2-0, she took a medical timeout and was provided with medication by the on-court doctor.
While Raducanu’s body, for once, held up well under the strain of a lengthy, gruelling battle, her stomach did not. At the beginning of the third set, she said she began to feel unwell and was “throwing up in her mouth”.
“All of a sudden I just felt so sick, just really like weak and nauseous,” said Raducanu. “Throughout the third set I think everyone could see it was a bit of a battle. Like physically, body-wise, I felt fine. It was more I was throwing up in my mouth. Then after the match, it came out. Now I’m okay. Yeah, I’ll get over it. It just sucks with the timing.
Still, she refused to give in. By the time Wang navigated a third consecutive lengthy deuce game to lead 3-1, the wild, dramatic third set was already 48 minutes long. Raducanu fought hard, creating opportunities on Wang’s serve until the close, but the Chinese player held on to her serve throughout the set and eventually sealed a brilliant victory.
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For Raducanu, a winnable match in the early rounds passed her by, but after a long layoff in which she received surgery on both hands and an ankle, the most significant part of this result is merely that she was present. She finished the match without suffering a setback with her previous injuries, nor did three hours of stress and tension lead to a new injury. After such a long absence from matchplay, expectations should be low.
It takes time and consistent work in training to build form and disappointing defeats are part of the process. The important thing is that Raducanu must continue to build momentum. She has to finally train and compete consistently, and only then will she have the opportunity to test her strength and see how far she can rise.
“I think the way that I’m committing to my movement, committing to my training and tennis, I’ve completely got no fear with it,” she said. “I feel more confident than ever. Just playing with no pain is something that for a while I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to do. I think that is a bonus. I’m very grateful for that. I think now we just push on with more training, more gym, more work and more consistency.”
Sophie Anderson, a UK-based writer, is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
