Emma Raducanu stages impressive comeback from set down against Ann Li in Eastbourne Open

Emma Raducanu secured a hard-fought victory this week at the Eastbourne International, defeating American Ann Li in a tight match, 6-7(6), 6-3, 6-1. The British No. 1 made her return after a back injury forced her to withdraw from the Berlin Ladies Open last week.

The 2021 US Open champion has shown in previous seasons that she feels comfortable on grass courts, and in her first tournament of the year, she reached the quarterfinals before falling to Zheng Qinwen. This time, in her return to the courts, she had to battle harder but ultimately claimed the win.

The start of the match quickly leaned in favor of the American, who secured an early break point and, a couple of minutes later, saved a 0-40 deficit to go up 3-0. Li, also making her return after withdrawing from Berlin due to a thigh injury, had a strong beginning to the match.

However, Raducanu reacted and broke back, leveling the score at 3-3. Both players were consistent on their serves, winning over 60% of their service points each, though Li did so with more ease. Everything came down to a tie-break, where Raducanu squandered a 5-3 lead, and Li won four consecutive points to close out the set in her favor, 7-6(5).

The second set was a rollercoaster, with almost every game featuring at least one break point. It began with cross-breaks, and Raducanu managed to save several break points against her in the next couple of games. With the score at 3-2, a series of breaks followed: one for Li and two for Raducanu, who surged ahead to 5-3, serving for the set.

This time, the 22-year-old was effective in closing out the set and had no trouble securing it 6-3, capitalizing on a 72% first-serve percentage compared to only 50% for her opponent throughout the set. The Brit was also more effective in crucial moments, saving 6/8 break points against her and converting 3/4 opportunities in her favor.

The final part of the match was entirely Raducanu's, who quickly secured a break in a disputed game and, holding her serve, took a 2-0 lead. Li – currently world No. 64 – managed to defend her service game one last time (1-2), but from that point on, she could barely compete with her opponent.

From 2-1, Raducanu took absolute control of the match, easily winning her service games and securing two consecutive breaks, which gave her the 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-1 victory after two hours and 21 minutes. From a disputed start, Raducanu managed to maintain her conviction until the final part of the match and capitalized on her opponent's dip in form to secure another triumph on grass courts. Raducanu advances to the second round, where she will face New Zealander Maya Joint, who just eliminated Ons Jabeur.