Emma Raducanu claimed her first win of the new season after battling back to beat Camila Osorio at the Hobart International.
The British No. 1 and top seed trailed 4-2 in the second set on Tuesday when rain forced an early end to the match in Tasmania.
Raducanu returned to deuce on Wednesday looking sharp and determined as she secured a 6-3, 7-6 (2) win.
The 23-year-old was playing only her second match of the year after losing to Maria Sakkari in the United Cup last week on her return from a foot injury that had plagued her throughout pre-season.
Raducanu looked undercooked in that match and frequently dropped the ball short, and she had turned the momentum around in the second set against Osorio on Tuesday.
But she couldn’t be faulted for the restart, immediately putting pressure on her opponent and getting her reward when she grabbed her fourth chance to break, with Colombian Osorio serving for the set at 5-4.
Osorio, ranked 82nd, managed to force a tie-break, but Raducanu maintained her dominance.
The former US Open champion celebrated with a fist pump and a shout of joy as she claimed her first victory since September.
“Very, very difficult match,” Raducanu said in her on-field interview. “We played in all conditions and it was very difficult to get away from it a few times.
“I don’t think I’ve slept many games in between, so that was new for me too. I thought Camila played an incredible game overall, such good defense, and then stepped in when I dropped the ball short.
“I’m just really happy with how I came out today, turned it around and then hung on through the tiebreak.”
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Raducanu was scheduled to play Magdalena Frech in the second round, but was given a walkover due to an injury to the Pole, allowing her to advance to the quarterfinals against Australian Taylah Preston.
Meanwhile, Cameron Norrie’s hopes of making the last eight at the ASB Classic in Auckland were ended by a second-round loss to great Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
The British men’s number 1, who played in the city where he grew up, had a match point in the 10th game of the third set, but ultimately lost a close match 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4).
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