The former US Open champion Emma Raducanu is on her road to redemption, and she faces qualifier Anna- Lena Friedsam in the round of 16 of the Slovenia Open.
The 19-year-old is hoping to start afresh after her recent US Open debacle which saw her drop 71 places in the rankings to sit at No. 83. Raducanu took a wildcard to play in the Slovenia Open following her first-round loss in the US Open to the experienced Alize Cornet.
Raducanu has gotten off to a solid start at the Slovenia Open. She faced Dayana Yastremska in the first round. After leading 4-1 in the first set, Yastremska managed to break her serve. However, the Bromley-based Raducanu didn’t allow the Ukrainian any chance to come back further in the match. The second set was all about Raducanu. The score was 6-2, 5-3 in favor of Raducanu when Yastremska was forced to retire owing to an injury.
The 28-year-old lost her first qualifying match at the US Open against Ana Bogdan after winning the first set. She performed well in the Slovenia Open qualifier and defeated Harriet Dart in straight sets to progress to the next round.
In the first round, Friedsam faced America’s Elizabeth Mandlik. The match was quite unique as Mandlik bageled her opponent in the first set before racing to a 3-0 lead in the second set. However, the German tennis pro suddenly flipped a switch and won six out of the next seven games to take the set. In the final set, Friedsam came close to bageling Mandlik but the latter held serve with the score at 5-0. Eventually, Friedsam won the match 0-6, 6-4, 6-1.
The head-to-head scoreline currently stands at 0-0 on the WTA tour. Friedsam won their only encounter on the ITF circuit back in 2019 in straight sets 6-4, 6-2.
Prediction: Emma Raducanu to win in straight sets.
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