Tennis Raducanu battles through to the second round in Rome

EMMA Raducanu overcame a brief wobble to book her spot in the second round of the Italian Open with a three-set win over Maya Joint.

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Raducanu will now meet world number 20 Ekaterina Alexandrova after seeing off the 19-year-old Australian 7-5 6-7 (1) 6-3 in Rome.

The former US Open winner came within two points of finishing things off in straight sets but was steamrollered 7-1 in the second-set tie-break to set up a decider.

It looked like being a nervy finish at the SuperTennis Arena on Wednesday evening but the Briton found her mojo again, going 5-0 ahead in the third before wrapping things up in two hours, 44 minutes.

Speaking on court afterwards, Raducanu told Sky Sports: “I think the level was really high today. Maya played so aggressively and any time I dropped the ball just a tiny bit short, she was just all over it, so I'm really proud of how I came through.

“It was really difficult to play and then to close the match out was extremely hard. But the crowd and the support was amazing given it is almost 11 o'clock at night. I really felt it trying to cheer me on past the finish line.”