Emma Raducanu defeated Ena Shibahara 6-1, 6-2
The Brit claimed her first victory at US Open since 2021
She called US Open her happy place
Emma Raducanu now sees Flushing Meadows as a “happy place”, having initially struggled to find joy at the US Open following her breakthrough victory in 2021.
Since her historic final win over Leylah Fernandez, the British number one has participated at Flushing Meadows three times without winning a single match.
The 22-year-old has battled through injury and inconsistency in recent years but has finally found stability this season, impressing at Wimbledon before losing to eventual runner-up Aryna Sabalenka in the third round.
Raducanu will face world number 64 Ena Shibahara to kick off her latest US Open campaign on Sunday, in her second tournament under new coach Francisco Roig.
Raducanu said: “I’ve been lucky to have someone experienced in my corner now. We're working a lot on the court, putting a lot of hours in. He loves spending time on court as well. But we find a good balance. It's not all just serious.”
Reflecting on her recent progress and newfound confidence, Raducanu continued: “After Wimbledon, it was quite a good match with Aryna Sabalenka... I think quite a lot of people watched it. I think it helped my case, so I'm happy about that.
“I feel the same off-court, in terms of just enjoying my tennis, enjoying practising, enjoying competing, but I am more aware now of everything that is possible.
“Back then [after her 2021 triumph], I didn’t really know about the negativity and how it brings players down.
“It affected me a lot, but overall, I think I can enjoy what I’m doing day-to-day a lot more. I have good people around, so I'm just happy that I'm in this place with my tennis.
"I didn't enjoy coming back here. I think now is the first time I feel like I can come back to the US Open and really enjoy the memories that I made here and be proud of that.”
