The British Emma Raducanu continued her solid start on the North American swing with an impressive victory over the Elena-Gabriela Russ of Romania, 6-2 6-4, on the WTA 1000 Omnium Banque National Presente Par Rogers in Montréal on Monday.
I am so happy that I get through that. Elena is a good friend of mine, and it’s hard to play someone you know, but I am happy with how I put that aside. It is also good to support a good week in DC last week. Emma Raducanu
Up to World No 33 in the Rankings of Pif WTA Singles, Raducanu reached its first semifinal of the season last week on the hard courts of Washington, DC, and achieved a new valuable victory in Canada after beating Russ in one hour and 37 minutes.
The 22-year-old also reached the semi-final of the Doubles next to Elena Rybakina, but the couple withdrew from the late game prior to their last 4 performances on Saturday.
There were some concern that the Brit was in difficulties in her quarterfinals against Maria Sakkari when she took a medical time-out to have her vitals checked, and then she claimed that the game had disappeared the distance, she would have struggled.
“I don’t feel the best now, so I just have to talk to the doctors,” she said, after her 6-4 7-5 victory over Sakkari. “It was one of the most difficult matches, in terms of the conditions, I once played. Those points in the second set, I became a bit wobbly. I am just glad I could close it and they were two sets.”
After having 13 places in the ranking of the singles, now back in the top 35 for the first time since 2022, and without points to defend in Canada, if Raducanu can be opened in the top 32 for the US, she will be sown, giving it a greater chance of a favorable draw while she wants to replicate her 2021 title run.
Raducanu has won 4 of her 5 hard-court matches since her grass court season ended with a narrow loss of 3rd round for World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka in midfield in Wimbledon, her home Grand Slam.
Against Ruse, ranked 58, Raducanu was forced to scrap hard in the hot and moist conditions of Montréal after a rapid change from her last 4 run in Washington, but the British no. 1 showed her resilience.
She flew from Washington to Montréal on Sunday evening and was immediately confronted with 5 breaking points in her first service match on Monday morning, which she moved away, leaned on her improved serve to get herself out of the problems before she took the last 5 games to close the first set and then serve a crucial pause.
“I am so happy that I get through that. Elena is a good friend of mine, and it’s hard to play someone you know, but I’m happy with how I put that aside,” Raducanu said afterwards. “It is also good to support a good week in DC last week.”
Emma Raducanu needed an hour and 37 minutes to pass Elena-Gabriela Russ on Monday and will compete against Peyton Stearns, the no. 32 seed, in round 2
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After she survived the opening match, she broke Russ to move 3-2 ahead when the Romanian coughed up 2 double errors.
It led to a series of 6 consecutive games for the Brit when she achieved the first set, but an early break at the start of the second was followed by an immediate response from Russia.
Although Raducanu forced more breaking points on the serve of Russe, it was only in the 7th match that the 2021 US Open Champion broke up again to go up 4-3, which started a point of 3 consecutive breaks before the Brit kept her cool to close the victory at the first time of asking for her own Serve.
‘It’s extremely difficult [to play someone you know]”Raducanu added later.” We spent a lot of time together in off-court practices, and she is a great girl. It is not nice if you see her name in the draw, but I am really happy with how I performed with myself. “
Raducanu, who was born in Canada, is now a perfect 4-0 against Romanian players in Main Draw matches at Tour level and will hope for a new big win against the Nr. 32 Seed, Peyton Stearns of the United States, who had a first round as a placed player.
Although Raducanu has won both earlier meetings with stearns in straight sets, 3 of those 4 sets were arranged by Tiebreeaks.
If she passes Stearns, another American could wait in the 3rd round in the form of Amanda Anisimova, the 5th Seed and 2025 Wimbledon finalist.
However, Anisimova must first be confronted with Lulu Sun from New Zealand, who came from a break in the second set to prevent a come-back from 2013 Toronto-finalist Sorana Cirstea from Romania, 6-3 7-5, to reach the 2nd round.
British no. 2 Katie Boulter conquered a slow first set in the second, but could not pass Renata Zarazua on Monday in the 1st round of Montréal
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British no. 2 Katie Boulter barely avoided at the end of a bagel against Renata Zarazua, and fell on a second consecutive defeat of the first round and lost 6-1 7-5 to the Mexican world No. 68.
Despite improving her level in the second set, including holding 2 set points at 5-4, she went to a defeat of the straight sets after an hour and 46 minutes.
“I didn’t try to be killed by her power,” said a smiling Zarazua then on the field. “She is clearly a great player.”
So far it has been a mixed season for Boulter, who has had difficulty combining deep runs on tour, and she suffered a rather than expected exit in Wimbledon before she lost in the Washington opening round last week.
Boulter has stored 2 set points to get 5-1, but the Mexican quickly wrapped the opener when he serves again.
The 28-year-old Brit has yielded much more resistance in the second, and although she held 2 set points herself on Zarazua’s serve, she made 54 casual mistakes and never managed to get a real foot in the game while suffering her third consecutive loss.
For Zarazua she scored her first WTA 1000 Main-Draw victory since 2021, and moves to Jelena Ostapenko, the no. 22 Seed from Latvia, in round 2.
Renata Zarazua threw off a late come-back from Katie Boulter to continue to a 2nd round match with Jelena Ostapenko, the no. 22 Seed
© Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images
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