Emma Raducanu buoyant after thumping win over Blinkova at Queen’s

Emma Raducanu believes her dominant start to the grass-court season can be the launchpad for success over the coming month as she reached the second round at Queen’s with a 6-0, 6-3 win over Anna Blinkova, a qualifier.

“It was a really good stepping stone, and the way I was feeling on the court, the way I was moving, the way I was expressing myself, just the whole package, not necessarily the tennis, just how I kind of was acting on the court, I really enjoyed it,” Raducanu said. “That’s something that I want to take forward in all of my matches and really embrace this grass-court season.”

Raducanu was competing for the first time since her straight sets loss to Solana Sierra in the first round of the French Open two weeks ago as she tries to bounce back after a difficult start to the year. The world No 42 had been sidelined for more than two months due to post-viral illness, only returning to competition less than a week before the French Open. She was tearful during her press conference in Paris after being asked about the mental toll of having to navigate so many injuries in her still young career.

With two additional weeks to train and prepare for the grass, the 23-year-old looked like a different player here. She played clear-minded, offensive tennis, taking the ball early and cleanly redirecting off both wings while trying to dominate with her forehand from on top of the baseline.

“We have been working day in, day out, since I started training again, and even throughout the clay season we have been working and putting good shifts in each day,” said Raducanu. “You don’t know when it’s going to pay off. It’s work that’s compounded over the last few weeks.

“Of course there is a lot more work to do, but I’m really just trying to enjoy the process, despite the results, keep showing up each day with the best attitude and the best commitment I can.”

Katie Boulter also advanced to the second round, recovering from a set and a break down at 3-6, 3-4 to register an excellent 3-6, 7-6 (4), 7-5 win over the eighth seed, Leylah Fernandez.

Elsewhere, Jack Draper’s injury troubles continued as he was forced to withdraw from the Queen’s ATP event, which begins next week. Draper has not competed since hurting his knee two months ago at the start of the clay-court season, an injury that came shortly after his return from a serious arm injury in February.

“Recovery going in the right direction, but I’m going to give myself one more week and aim to return at Eastbourne. Very hard to miss one of my favourite events of the year,” said Draper in a statement.

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