Skip to main content

Raducanu battles through illness to set up Swiatek clash at French Open

Raducanu in action at the French Open
Raducanu in action at the French OpenJULIAN FINNEY / GETTY IMAGES EUROPE / Getty Images via AFP

Former US Open winner Emma Raducanu overcame illness to make a winning return to Roland Garros on Monday as she beat Wang Xinyu to set up a second round clash with reigning champion Iga Swiatek.

The 22-year-old Briton overcame her Chinese opponent 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 in her first appearance at the French Open since 2022.

Raducanu said she felt "really proud" after grinding through against Wang in a topsy-turvy encounter, which featured 16 breaks of serve and lasted nearly two hours 45 minutes.

After requiring a medical break in the first set, the 2021 US Open champion revealed she had been feeling ill all day.

"I woke up and I felt really sick, to be honest," Raducanu said in her post-match press conference.

"I felt bad from the morning. I was just trying and fighting through that. It was really difficult.

"To have kind of come through that and overcome how I was feeling, I'm really happy."

Raducanu fell in the second round three years ago in her only previous appearance at the tournament, and will face a stern test if she is to better her Roland Garros record this time around.

She will meet four-time winner Swiatek in the round of 64, after the Pole swept through 6-3, 6-3 against Slovakian Rebecca Sramkova.

"I think it's a match for me where I can really test and challenge myself," said Raducanu of her next opponent.

"I think exposure to the top players is great for where I'm at for my development.

"It's a match where I can... go for my shots, because I know if I just push the ball, I'm probably going to get eaten."

Swiatek holds a 4-0 record over Raducanu, with her most recent victory a bruising 6-1, 6-0 win in the third round of the Australian Open in January.