Until Sunday, Emma Raducanu had not managed to win a match at Flushing Meadows since she won the US Open women’s singles title in 2021.
This year, Raducanu has insisted that the place is her “happy place”, and she started the tournament promisingly by defeating Japanese qualifier Ena Shibahara in straight sets.
The victory is the most recent point in what is one of the best moments of Raducanu’s career to date, capitalizing on her consistent results and injury-free health to climb towards the world’s top 30.
In addition, it has a new full-time coach, the experienced Spaniard Francisco Roig, who was with Rafael Nadal’s team for nearly two decades.
