Emma Raducanu comes through gruelling Elise Mertens clash at Washington Open - 'Fight until the very end'
Published 30/07/2024 at 08:38 GMT+1
Emma Raducanu may be absent from the Paris 2024 Olympics, but still provided some sporting drama of her own. The 21-year-old was competing on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean in the Washington Open, and had to strain every sinew to overcome Elise Mertens. In a match which finished close to midnight local time, Raducanu continued the momentum in what has been an impressive summer resurgence.
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Video credit: TNT Sports
Emma Raducanu fought off jet-lag and powered her way into the Washington Open second round with a hard-fought 6-2 3-6 6-4 win over Elise Mertens.
The Brit swatted away five break points in a gruelling third set to book a clash with either Peyton Stearns or Clervie Ngounoue.
Raducanu turned down an invitation to represent Team GB at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and insisted she had no regrets in deciding to play at the hard-court tournament instead.
"I was playing some pretty good tennis in patches throughout, especially in the first set and moments in the third set." Raducanu said in quotes published by wtatennis.com.
“I lost some focus in the second. It's not easy playing at 11:30. I got here Thursday night so I'm still jet-lagged.
"I was telling myself, 'I'm not leaving. This is not happening. You're not losing this match.’
"I've been training and playing so good in practice. I've been really on it. So, on the court, I was telling myself: ‘Look, you've been so focused for so long. There's no way you're not going to try right now. You're going to fight until the very end. You didn't put all that work in for nothing.’"
"I'm happy with how I pulled myself out of it, but I do need to focus."
The Belgian was a familiar foe for Raducanu, after she dispatched the 28-year-old with a second-round win at Wimbledon earlier this month.
However, this clash on the Eastern Seaboard was nowhere near as straightforward. Instead, it was a topsy-turvy match which saw five breaks of serve in the opening set.
Raducanu missed a chance to serve for the set at 5-3 before drawing first blood on the Belgian's serve.
The next set was nowhere near as eventful, but it ultimately swayed in favour of Mertens, with Raducanu relinquishing a 40-0 lead in a dramatic game to give the Belgian a crucial break.
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Mertens got the job done with little fuss, restoring parity on her first set point to prevail 6-3.
An immense deciding set followed, with Raducanu saving five break points in a game which went to deuce six times to claim a pivotal hold at 4-3.
She followed that up with an emphatic break to extend her lead, but Mertens was not willing to go down without a fight.
The world No.35 broke back with relative ease, but Raducanu then broke Mertens for a sixth and final time to end a gruelling encounter.
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