Emotional Raducanu battles into Eastbourne second round

An emotional Emma Raducanu produced an impressive fightback to reach the second round at Eastbourne and keep her Wimbledon preparations on track.

British number one Raducanu trailed American Ann Li by a set and a break in difficult conditions on the south coast.

But the 22-year-old wrestled control of a topsy-turvy second set before finishing strongly to clinch a 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-1 victory.

Raducanu, who held back tears after securing victory, will meet Australian teenager Maya Joint for a place in the quarter-finals.

“I want to thank the crowd for getting me through some really sticky moments,” Raducanu said in her on-court interview.

“It really meant a lot to me and I’m really proud of how I fought back after losing the first set.

World number 38 Raducanu is building towards her fourth Wimbledon appearance, where she has twice reached the fourth round since her debut in 2021.

A run to the quarter-finals at Queen’s was enough to see the 2021 US Open champion regain the British number one title for the first time in two years earlier this month.

But Raducanu missed last week’s Berlin Open as she continues to manage a back issue – and, a fortnight on from Queen’s, she was given a stern test by 64th-ranked Li amid strong winds on the south coast.

Li, 24, appeared to have maintained her momentum when she secured an immediate break of serve at the start of set two, only to gift her opponent the initiative in the next game.

An unpredictable set continued as, having saved four break points, Raducanu took her opportunity to move 4-2 ahead – and then restored her advantage at 5-3 following another exchange of breaks.

That proved the catalyst for Raducanu’s excellent finish to the match, winning 10 of the last 12 games to blow her opponent away and complete victory in two hours and 18 minutes.