LONDON, June 9 (Reuters) – Home favourite Emma Raducanu won her first match since March as she swept past Russian Anna Blinkova 6-0 6-3 in the opening round of the Queen’s Club WTA event on Tuesday.
The British number one has endured a tough year with injury and illness restricting her court time, and she was knocked out in the first round at the French Open.
But on the slick grasscourts the 2021 U.S. Open champion, who has recently reunited with her former coach Andrew Richardson, produced a confident display against the qualifier as she began her preparations for Wimbledon.
“The way I was moving, the way I was expressing, just the whole package, not necessarily the tennis, just how I was acting on the court,” the 23-year-old said.
“I really enjoyed it and I think that’s something that I want to take forward in all my matches and really embrace this grass-court season.”
Raducanu will play Romanian seventh seed Sorana Cirstea next.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
