Emma Raducanu gets a birthday surprise as she makes a thrilling return to action
11/15/2024 03:48 PM
Emma Raducanu has had a few false starts in her latest attempt to come back from injury, but she made it back onto court in time to ensure there would be a final entry into her 2024 season after all.
The 2021 US open champion looked sharp after several weeks away from competitive action as she saw off the challenge of Germany's Jule Niemeier and gave Britain a 1-0 lead in the tie at Malaga's Palacios de Deportes.
Raducanu served 10 aces in a 6-4 6-4 win – although there were also seven double faults and six match points – that gives Katie Boulter the chance to clinch the victory and a clash with defending champions Canada on Sunday by beating Laura Siegemund.
"I think I played some really good tennis today," said Raducanu. "I haven't played a match in a long time so I think these are small sharpness things that come. I'm very proud of how I managed to regroup and close out in that final game."
Having been scheduled as the final match of the opening round at the Finals week, Britain then had to wait another hour and 25 minutes longer than planned as Poland completed victory over Spain.
That tie had been due to be played on Wednesday but was postponed because of the storm that hit Malaga earlier this week, causing flooding around the 3,564-seat temporary arena where the women's tournament is being held.
A near four-hour match between Magda Linette and Sara Sorribes Tormo was followed by a three-set battle between Iga Swiatek and Paula Badosa, which the world number two won to send Poland through to a quarter-final against the Czech Republic.
Seville had been the intended host of the event but it was moved in July at the request of local authorities to join next week's Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, although it inevitably has the feeling of the poor relation given that is being staged in a permanent, much larger stadium next door.
Raducanu's name elicited the biggest cheer from the heavily British crowd when the teams finally walked onto court, with the former US Open champion bidding to build on her heroics in the qualifiers in April, when she won both her matches away against France on clay to seal an upset victory.
Yet her preparation was limited by a foot injury sustained in September, and this was her first competitive outing for nearly two months.
She had the advantage on ranking over Niemeier, a powerful 25-year-old who reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals two years ago, sitting at 58 compared to her opponent's 92.
It was the higher-ranked Raducanu who made the first move, a fiercely struck forehand return earning her a break at 3-3.
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The Briton then saved five break points in the next game to hold onto her lead, helped by four of the seven aces she served in the opening set.
Raducanu confidently served it out and then broke again to start the second, this time drilling a backhand return into the corner.
Raducanu was unable to prevent Niemeier retrieving the break but she went straight back on the offensive and opened up a 5-2 lead.
Finishing off matches has at times been a problem for Raducanu and she double-faulted on match point, with Niemeier going on to break, before seeing three more chances go begging on the German's serve.
Then, at the sixth time of asking Raducanu did finally make it across the line, bouncing up and down and pumping her fist to her team-mates.
Raducanu was then given an extra treat in the post match presentation as the vocal band that had been boosting the atmosphere with their trumpets broke into a birthday chorus to celebrate Raducanu’s 22nd birthday, which she toasted last Wednesday.
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