NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND - JUNE 07: Emma Raducanu of Great Britain celebrates in action against Harriet Dart of Great Britain during Day 3 of the Viking Open at Nottingham Tennis Centre on June 07, 2021 in Nottingham, England. (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images for LTA)

Tennis | WTA Cluj-Napoca 2021 | Emma Raducanu claims maiden tour win and faces home crowd favourite Ana Bogdan next

By Ros Satar

  • Emma Raducanu [3] def. Polona Hercog 4-6 7-5 6-1
  • Faces Romania’s Ana Bogdan next
CLUJ-NAPOCA, ROMANIA – Emma Raducanu clinches maiden tour-level win and first since historic US Open win at the Transylvania Open.

 

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Emma Raducanu def. Polona Hercog 4-6 7-5 6-1

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It feels like it was a long time coming, but Emma Raducanu finally clinched her first WTA Tour-level win, beating Polona Hercog in the opening round of the Transylvania Open, in Romania.

The British No. 1 had to come from a set down to beat the Slovenian after letting a 4-1 lead in the first set slide away. She battled through a tight second set, before dominating in the decider.

As reported in WTATennis.com, she said: “Polona’s a great opponent, and she’s really experienced, so I really had to fight hard to pull that one through.

“I thought that by the end of the third set, I was playing some better tennis, and the most important thing was I earned another opportunity to go and play better in my next round.”

 

Raducanu v Ana Bogdan | H2H: First Meeting

The Brit, whose father is from Romania, will face a home-crowd favourite in Ana Bogdan.

 

H2H & Match Fundamentals

Emma Raducanu [3] v Ana Bogdan H2H: First Meeting
WTA Cluj-Napoca Romania
Hard (I) Prize Money: $3,675
Scheduled on Centre Court, not before 3:30pm (13:30pm BST) Amazon Prime Video <– Sign up for trial

 

Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (2021 – Hard)

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H2H: Emma Raducanu (WR 23) Polona Hercog (WR 106)
Tournament Previous Best Inaugural Edition Inaugural Edition
1st Serve Return Points Won % 34.8 49.5
Return Points Won % 43.3 52.6
Break Point Conversion % 23.5 46.2
Break Points Saved % 60 22.2
Total Points Won % 53.9 49.8

Bogdan has one more match indoors than Raducanu which accounts for the stats although when it comes to fending off break points in her own serve, it is a very different matter, and should give Raducanu a bit of confidence that if she could battle past a solid tour veteran in Hercog, she can build on that and persevere.

 

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Playing Styles & Prediction

It was a solid win that showed that Raducanu does have the steadiness to come back and fight through a tough match situation for the win. To blow a 4-1 lead and then come back to dominate at the end shows that she is developing some resilience.

She can expect the ball to come back with pace from Bogdan who loves a bit of acceleration, but Raducanu can hope to match her in terms of her agility around the court, and her own aggressive play.

Again though, she is playing someone with a lot more tour experience under her belt and it feels like it would be no surprise to see her have to battle through a few tough matches as she starts to find her feet on the tour.

Prediction: Raducanu in three sets.

 

How to Watch/Follow the WTA Cluj-Napoca

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