Emma Raducanu returned to the tennis courts at the 2024 Nottingham Open, winning her first match on grass in a volcanic fashion.
Raducanu surprised by opting to skip Roland Garros after showing a decent level on clay leading up to the event. She wanted to give herself a chance to better prepare for the grass season, where she felt she could do more damage than play two more weeks on clay and then start the grass season.
This approach allowed her to start grass preparation early, and it certainly benefited her. In her first-round match at the WTA 250 tournament in Nottingham, she faced a decent opponent in Ena Shibahara and completely outplayed her, showing some of her best tennis.
To be fair, Shibahara is mostly a doubles player but can play decent tennis in singles as well. She tried to be competitive in this match but failed, as Raducanu demonstrated amazing familiarity with grass.
Before she was even known for her sensational US Open triumph, the British player made the fourth round of Wimbledon, which demonstrated how well she could play on the surface.
In this match, she played some of her best tennis. She took an early break and applied heavy pressure on her opponent. The first set concluded with a 6-1 scoreline, as Raducanu dominated Shibahara's second serve, doing most of the damage there.
She also played the crucial rallies better, saving both break points she allowed while converting three out of four she had on her opponent's serve. The second set wasn't anything different.
The home crowd favorite opened with an early break once more, leading 3-0. From there, she was able to keep up the pressure, finishing the match in two simple sets.
The final score was 6-1, 6-4 for Raducanu in what was a very comfortable return to the grass courts for her. She will now try to keep the same level in the coming rounds, but so far, the decision to skip Roland Garros has proved to be the correct one.
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