Emma Raducanu disagreed with a question during her post-match interview after being Daria Kasatkina in Strasbourg. The young Brit looked assured as she cruised to victory in straight sets, beating her Australian rival for the very first time. It saw Raducanu maintain her impressive form on clay after reaching the fourth round of last week’s Italian Open.
Raducanu made a flying start and took the first set in rapid fashion, with Kasatkina being made to pay for her repeated mistakes. The latter came back fighting in the second set but Raducanu was undeterred and held firm to close out the match. She managed eight break points in total, which was largely down to the aggressive style of play she adopted.
In her post-match interview, Raducanu was asked if she thought it was a straightforward victory but disagreed with that notion as she reflected on how she performed.
“I didn’t necessarily feel that way,” replied the 22-year-old. “I knew I was playing Daria, a great opponent. I’m proud of my performance, how I came out and was aggressive.
“I’m also [proud of] how I maintained my focus in the second set when Daria played some great points when I was trying to serve the match out.”
Quizzed on whether it was her best performance on clay to date, Raducanu said: “I think I’ve been building towards this. I had three great matches in Rome and to bring that level here, I’m really proud.
“As I spend more time on clay I’m starting to like it more and more and building my relationship, let’s say, with the surface.”
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