Emma Raducanu breezed into the second round of the Canadian Open under the watchful eye of Mark Petchey. The Brit is up to No. 33 in the rankings after a good run in Washington last week, where she reached the last four. And she carried her momentum into Montreal, beating good friend Elena-Gabriela Ruse 6-2 6-4.
Petchey was also back in Raducanu’s box after their coaching partnership was left up in the air following her Wimbledon third-round defeat. Petchey has a full-time job as a commentator and had agreed to work with the British No. 1 through to the end of Wimbledon.
After Raducanu lost to Sabalenka in the third round there, she was asked about their future and: “That’s a conversation that we need to have after a few days and the dust settles a little bit.”
They had a brief training block together but Petchey still wasn’t sure whether he’d maintain a role in Raducanu’s coaching camp. He wasn’t present at last week’s WTA 500 in Washington, but he was back courtside in Canada.
And his guidance proved crucial. Raducanu, who had a quick turnaround after losing in the Washington semi-finals on Saturday, survived a marathon opening service game, saving five break points.
Petchey could be seen actively trying to pass on advice from the sidelines, gesturing and talking to Raducanu. And it immediately paid off as she earned the first break of the match to lead 3-2.
The world No. 33 kept on rolling, sealing another break before closing out the first set 6-2 in 41 minutes. Raducanu made it six games in a row as she broke to start set two, but Ruse finally ended her streak and broke back on a return winner.
Raducanu had a chance to regain her advantage and Petchey got on his feet to cheer her on. But the world No. 58 saved two break points to move ahead.
The Brit continued to put pressure on Ruse’s serve with some clever ballstriking and finally reaped the rewards as the Romanian blew a 40-30 lead to get broken. But again, Ruse broke straight back.
The rollercoaster continued and Raducanu pounced as Ruse dumped the ball into the net, handing the 22-year-old the break and allowing her to serve for the match.
Raducanu had a wobble, throwing in a double fault to trail 15-30. But she reeled off three points in a row to book her spot in the second round on her debut in Montreal.
The ATP and WTA Tours alternate between Montreal and Toronto each year, and Raducanu’s only previous tournament appearance came in 2022, in Toronto. The former US Open champion applauded Ruse as she left the court.
Raducanu had beaten Ruse in their only previous match at the 2024 ASB Classic in Auckland. The pair had a good relationship, as Ruse hails from Romania and Raducanu is half Romanian.
Following her 2021 US Open triumph, the Brit played a homecoming exhibition match at London’s Royal Albert Hall and picked Ruse to be her opponent. Ruse previously told the Guardian: “We started to be friends, she’s a nice person. I enjoy the time with her so much.”
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