Phil Walter/Getty Images
Emma Raducanu lived up to her star billing eventually in her match agaisnt Linda Fruhvirtova.
Emma Raducanu may come from a country where the weather is often bad, but at the ASB Classic on Tuesday she experienced something she’d never encountered before.
The British 20-year-old defeated Linda Fruhvirtova 4-6 6-4 6-2 in a long match on Centre Court and Raducanu said afterwards it was the first time in her career she’d ever had to go through two weather delays in a match.
“I’m really not that used to them, we just play indoors in the UK! It’s not like we’re putting ourselves out there for that,” Raducanu said.
“For me, it was very new to have two rain delays. I don’t think it’s ever happened to me.
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“It was a testing match, to stay focussed for that amount of time and not switch off, then stopping and starting again and being right back on it, because you’re in the middle of a game.”
Phil Walter/Getty Images
Linda Fruhvirtova showed her potential, but is yet at the level to beat someone of Emma Raducanu’s ability.
Raducanu took a while to get going against Fruhvirtova, getting broken towards the end of the first set and she also lost the first eight points of the second set.
At that moment, it looked like Raducanu could be crashing out of the tournament, but she told herself she had to lift her game.
“I just said I’ve got to start moving my feet more,” Raducanu said.
“The first eight points went by very quick and I think that for me, after the rain delay I came out pretty sluggish and slow and the score went fast from 4-4 (in the first set) to 2-0 down (in the second).
“I was like ‘you need to stop this’, just pick it up, be more aggressive and swing more freely.
“From the back, if I was just pushing the ball around, she would outrun me. So I knew I had to be more aggressive and I felt a lot better in myself in doing that.”
Raducanu was clearly the crowd favourite for the match and she said that helped lift her during the tough moments.
“I was loving the support,” she said.
“I was very surprised, but I was absolutely here for it. I felt like I was almost playing in the UK.
“I felt like everyone was behind me and I absolutely loved it. Some moments it was tricky in the score and I would hear a young kid say ‘Come on Emma’ and I was like, come on, let’s go.”
In the next round Raducanu plays qualifier Viktoria Kuzmova, who knocked the No 4 seed Bernarda Pera earlier on Tuesday.
However, with even worse weather predicted, it may not be played until Friday.
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