Before the game began, Rakanu said she had no “real expectations” for the next two weeks.
After losing to the Australian teenager Maya Federation last week in Eastbourne, Raducanu admitted that she needed to get her “head” at the start of Wimbledon.
She explained that she received some “very bad” personal news that she wanted to stay private and on the tennis side of her life, she has been dealing with ongoing spasms since the off-season.
But the 2021 U.S. Open champion came to this game through her opening game – a tricky moment for British teenager Mimi Xu – without major fears and once again raised her level to beat Vondrousova’s dominance.
“This is a sentence from Emma,” said former UK No. 1 Annabel Croft, who is analyzing the BBC Radio 5 Live game.
“I don’t think she’s going to hit the ball better, I really don’t. She’s definitely medium.
“I think it’s really a concern for Sabalenka because she’s going to face Raducanu.
“If Rakanu can play anything close to that level again, although she may not allow her to do so, because Sabalenka will bring a lot of power and she will give the world number one campaign.”
