Transylvania Open 2021 - Emma Raducanu claims Transylvania comeback win over Polona Hercog
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Updated 26/10/2021 at 22:00 GMT
After her impressive showing at Wimbledon earlier in the year, followed by her incredible US Open win, British teenager Emma Raducanu has retured to the regular tennis schedule recently and secured a round of 32 win over her Slovenian opponent Polona Hercog, taking a 4-6 7-5 6-1 win after losing the first set.
Emma Raducanu
Image credit: Getty Images
Emma Raducanu won her round of 32 match at the Transylvania Open against Polona Hercog 4-6 7-5 6-1.
Raducanu was in action after her victory at the US Open which cemented her rise into the professional game after her fourth-round Wimbledon exit.
After looking like she would cruise to a simple victory, Hercog broke back to 4-3 to give her 18-year-old rival the chance to test her nerves on her way to her first tour victory.
The Slovenian then rallied to challenge for two set points at 5-4 to win the first, winning five sets in a row as the number 124 gave herself a great chance of victory.
The second set saw the pair exchange games, all the way to 3-3 as Raducanu struggled to find her best form, with the set then poised at 5-5.
Serving at a vital moment, Raducanu moved to an advantage, before taking it to 6-5 and forcing a win in the second set to tee up a decisive third.
She then raced into a 3-0 lead in the following set and appeared to be closing in on victory, with some late resistance preventing a bagel.
Speaking after the match, she explained her happiness at being in one country she can call home.
"This means a lot to play in my dad's country," she explained. "It feels like a huge win.
"It is a shame there aren't fans here, but I hope they were watching and I just wanted to do them proud.
"I was on a losing streak so I am really pleased to have come through that. It's my first win, I knew that in my head, so I was battling really hard to get on the board."
"I am really proud of how I fought," Raducanu continued. "That is a big learning thing for me.
"The key was to try to stay mentally composed. I knew I wasn't playing very well so I just needed to keep going one point at a time and giving myself a chance by holding serve."
Raducanu will face Ana Bogdan in the second round on Thursday.
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