Emma Raducanu powers to impressive win over Daria Kasatkina in Strasbourg
The Briton had lost to the Australian in each of their three previous meetings.
Emma Raducanu continued her impressive clay-court form as she swept aside sixth seed Daria Kasatkina in the first round of the Internationaux de Strasbourg.
The British number two, who won three games on the surface for the first time in her career last week as she reached the quarter-finals of the Italian Open, beat the world number 17 6-1 6-3.
It was another notable scalp for Raducanu, playing her final tournament before the upcoming French Open, having lost to the Australian in each of their three previous meetings.
Raducanu made a searing start by breaking her opponent in the opening game of the match and, despite being broken straight back, the 22-year-old proceeded to reel off the next five games to take the first set 6-1.
The second set started in the same vein for Raducanu, who served for a 1-0 lead, before seven successive breaks of serve saw the Briton emerge with a chance to serve for the match at 5-3.
Raducanu found it anything but straightforward so close to the winning line, spurning her first two match points due to a crisp Kasatkina return then a netted backhand slice.
Kasatkina once again stepped up to save a third match point before Raducanu finally managed to get over the line at the fourth time of trying.
Raducanu, who took a wild card for the tournament having not initially intended to compete, will next face American Danielle Collins, who beat compatriot Sofia Kenin in three sets.
“To bring that level here, I’m really proud,” said Raducanu in her on-court interview after the match.
“I think as I spend more time on clay I’m starting to get to like it a little bit more and more and I’m kind of building my relationship with the surface.”
Elsewhere, Harriet Dart was knocked out in the first round of French Open qualifying after being beaten 6-1 6-2 by Ukraine’s Anastasiia Sobolieva.
A dominant Sobolieva broke the Briton’s serve twice in the opening set as she wrapped it up in 28 minutes.
Dart was broken twice more at the start of the second set before responding with a break of her own, but Sobolieva continued to impress and closed out a comfortable victory.
