Tennis Raducanu 'very pleased' to end winless run at US Open

EMMA Raducanu admitted her winless run in New York had been weighing on her mind after finally claiming her first victory since lifting the trophy four years ago.

- Eleanor RADUCANU

The British number one opened the tournament on Louis Armstrong Stadium in the event's first Sunday start and needed just 62 minutes to sweep aside Japanese qualifier Ena Shibahara 6-1, 6-2.

While Flushing Meadows was the scene of Raducanu’s great triumph, it has not been a place of happy memories since.

Three years ago as defending champion, she looked anxious and unhappy in a first-round loss to Alize Cornet before missing the 2023 tournament following wrist and ankle surgeries.

Last year she arrived undercooked after an injury niggle that she kept private and was in tears following another first-round defeat, this time to American Sofia Kenin.

So it was no surprise she greeted this victory with a mixture of delight and relief, saying: “I’m very pleased to have come through that match. First rounds are very challenging always, the nerves, and I think I had a little bit of the added I wanted to win a match here really bad.