You can’t keep a good woman down as Emma Raducanu turns her losses into wins as she defeated sixth seed Daria Kasatkina in the first round of the Internationaux de Strasbourg by 6-1,6-3.
Right now, Raducanu seems to be in full power swing as she won three consecutive games at the Italian Open last week. She brought that momentum against the 28-year-old whom she struggled against, thrashing in three previous encounters.
Raducanu seems to be doing well alongside her temporary coach Mark Petchey, hopefully, their partnership will not be cut short as the 54-year-old has significant broadcast commitments throughout the year.
This is not the first time Petchey has succeeded in bringing out the best in Raducanu, making her shine as the star she is. He once led her to the quarterfinals of the Miami Open alongside his mentor Jane O’Donoghue.
Speaking to a Sky Sports reporter, the 22-year-old said she’s very proud of her performance, which is a total new shift, and she is now fully focused on her craft.
“I’m really proud of my performance. How I came out and I was really aggressive.
“I also managed to maintain my focus in the second set when it was getting close and Daria was playing some great points when I was trying to serve the match out so I’m really proud of today’s performance.
“I think I’ve been building towards this. It’s a great feeling because I think I had three great matches in Rome, and the fourth I played an opponent who was better than me on the day [Coco Gauff].
“To kind of bring that level here, I’m really proud. But I think as I spend more time on clay, I’m starting to like it a little bit more and more. I’m building my relationship with the surface.”
Emma Raducanu will now face American Danielle Collins, both parties have never faced each other before. When it comes to rankings, Collins is ranked 46, while Raducanu is ranked 43.
