Emma Raducanu Secures First Win in 48 Days at Korea Open

Former U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu expressed pride in her performance after clinching her first victory in 48 days, defeating American Peyton Stearns 7-6(4), 7-6(5) in the opening round of the Korea Open in Seoul on Tuesday.

The 21-year-old had a rocky start, losing four consecutive games after taking a 4-1 lead in the first set, but managed to win the tiebreak. Stearns rallied from 5-3 down in the second set to serve for the match, but Raducanu broke back and triumphed in another tiebreak.

“I’m proud to have made it through to the next round,” Raducanu said post-match. “It was very humid, and the ball was bouncing around a lot. It was a tough match to get through. I haven’t played many matches in the last few months, and Peyton is a really good player in great form. I’m really pleased.”

Raducanu will face eighth-seeded Chinese player Yuan Yue in the second round.