Emma Raducanu began her Canadian Open bid with a “difficult” win against her close friend Elena-Gabriela Ruse.
According to Tennis365, the British tennis player in the first round of the WTA 1000 event in Montreal this week claimed a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Ruse, sparking hopes of a major ranking rise.
Raducanu has won four of her last five matches, losing the semifinals of the Citi Open to Anna Kalinskaya.
22-year-old during the court interview said, “I’m so happy to have come through that. I know Elena, she’s a very good friend of mine. It’s very difficult to play someone you are close to, so I am really proud of how I put that to one side for the match and also backed up a strong week in DC and performed well today.”
“Yeah, just really happy and loved playing here for the first time. It is extremely difficult [playing someone you know so well], we have spent a lot of time together off court, practicing, and she is a great girl, so it is not nice when you have to see her name in the draw,” she added.
After qualifying in the last four in Washington, she saw a major sweep from 46th to 33rd place in the world ranking, but she then fell to no. 42 after her quarterfinal points dropped.
US Open 2021 winner's latest win has lifted her to third place at No. 39, and if she successfully continues her winning streak, she could experience a major ranking rise.
Raducanu will now face 37th-seeded Peyton Stearns in the second round of the National Bank Open on Wednesday, July 30.
