By Tony Fairbairn at Wimbledon
- Emma Raducanu [WC] def Renata Zarazua [LL] 7-6(0) 6-3
- Raducanu v Elise Mertens | H2H: First Meeting
LONDON, ENGLAND – Emma Raducanu made a winning return to Wimbledon after a tight straight sets win over lucky loser Renata Zarazua and next for the former US Open champion is Elise Mertens.
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Emma Raducanu [WC] def Renata Zarazua [LL] 7-6(0) 6-3
It was a winning Wimbledon return for Emma Raducanu as she overcame Mexican lucky loser Renata Zarazua in a tough straight sets win. Zarazua came in as a late replacement for Ekaterina Alexandrova, who withdrew due to illness, and showed no signs of fear as she frustrated Raducanu with her variety and dropshots.
There needed to be composure from Raducanu if she wanted to win this match and the former US Open champion displayed a lot of that early on to grind out service holds. Although the body language was good, the forehand lacked consistency and became erratic as Zarazua pulled Raducanu from side-to-side extracting unforced errors from the Brit’s game.
Some good serving in important moments helped Raducanu save break point in the fourth game before the Brit’s patience was rewarded with a break for a 3-2 lead. Despite the advantage, Raducanu looked far from comfortable or convincing as the Brit still needed to rely on her fighting spirit to survive Zarazua’s bag of tricks. There was persistent pressure from the lucky loser and that pressure paid off in the eighth game as more unforced errors from Raducanu gave the break back at 4-4.
The change of pace from ball to ball was something Raducanu was clearly struggling with as she continued to plug away on serve and find a way to win the mini-battles in the match. As the set went on, the more erratic the forehand became as the unforced errors from the Brit continued. Somehow Raducanu survived the barrage from Zarazua as the former Grand Slam champion forced a first set tiebreak.
Back against the wall is how Raducanu likes it and that pressure is when she plays some of her best tennis and this tiebreak was no exception. Seven immaculate and hard-hitting points where she dictated the tempo of play saw Raducanu cruise through the tiebreak and take a one set lead.
Despite the result, no fear was being shown from Zarazua as she continued to frustrate Raducanu with a mixture of variety and depth. The Raducanu service games got tougher and tougher as the Brit saved two more break points in the third game as she struggled to dictate play with the forehand once again letting her down.
When it seemed Raducanu was struggling, the wildcard produced moments of magic as being patient was the key to victory. A break and another tight hold secured a 5-2 lead for Raducanu as the Brit was clearly frustrated at her level in this match. There was one last act of defiance from Zarazua who saved match point and held to force Raducanu to serve for the match.
Serve for the match Raducanu did as she earned her first win at Wimbledon for two years. After the match Raducanu said that she has no expectations of herself this year and is trying to enjoy every win as much as possible.
“As I said in the first press conference, I’d be over the moon if I won my first round here. And I really am. I feel just the joy to be on-site, the joy to be part of the buzz,” Raducanu explained in her press conference.
“I’m really just enjoying myself. I think that each match I win should be celebrated a lot. I think for me, ’cause I know how hard matches are to win, to come by. I think that now, yeah, having had a few wins under my belt, I’m like really cherishing every single one because I know how difficult it is to be on the flip side of it.
“Results-wise I have no expectations. I just have expectations of myself to really put myself on the line on the court and fight and not let any frustrations get to me.”
Emma Raducanu [WC] v Elise Mertens H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Emma Raducanu [WC] v Elise Mertens | H2H: First Meeting |
| Wimbledon 2024 | London, England |
| Grass (O) | Prize Money: £93,000 |
| Third on Court One (17:00 BST) | BBC Sport |
Raducanu will now play Elise Mertens in the second round, a player that has reached the second week of Wimbledon twice.
Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (2024)
| H2H: | Emma Raducanu (WR 135) | Elise Mertens (WR 33) |
| Tournament Previous Best | R4 (2021) | R4 (2019, 2022) |
| 1st Serve Return Points Won % | 37.7 | 35.7 |
| Return Points Won % | 43.7 | 43.7 |
| Break Point Conversion % | 40.7 | 48.3 |
| Break Points Saved % | 59.5 | 51.7 |
| Overall Service Points Won % | 57.4 | 50.5 |
Raducanu’s aggressive serving will come up against Mertens’ efficient returning in a match that could have big consequences on how the rest of the season will go for the Brit.
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Playing styles and prediction
Mertens has had strong grass court form in previous years but the Belgian has really struggled this season. The world number 33 had withdrawn from two of her three tournaments leading up to Wimbledon and in terms of the season has struggled for consistent victories. Now Mertens will aim to rediscover her form with a big win at Wimbledon.
Raducanu will need to fix the consistency of her forehand as she cannot afford to hit as many unforced errors as she did in her first round with the serve looking to cause the majority of the damage for the Brit. Meanwhile Mertens will aim to be strong off the backhand side with the Belgian approaching the net to finish points off efficiently. This will be a good test for Raducanu and should be aware that a repeat performance of her first round will likely result in elimination. However, it’s expected Raducanu will raise her level which should be enough for her to reach the third round.
Prediction: Raducanu in three sets.
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