"I think like I’ve been building towards this": Emma Raducanu 'building' relationship with clay court ahead of French Open

Britain’s Emma Raducanu believes that she is ‘building’ her relationship ahead of the French Open. The 22-year-old, who was once regarded as the next big thing after winning the US Open at the age of 18 back in 2021, is currently taking part in the Strasbourg Open.

Raducanu cemented her spot in the second round of the Internationaux de Strasbourg after beating Australia’s Daria Kasatkina in straight sets, 6-1, 6-3. Talking after the match to Sky Sports, the former world number 10 stated that she is more confident while playing on the surface, where historically, she did not have good numbers.

“I think like I’ve been building towards this,” she said. “It’s a great feeling. I had three great matches in Rome and the fourth I played an opponent who was better than me on the day. To bring that level here, I’m really proud. I think as I spend more time on clay I’m starting to get to like it even more. I’m kind of building my relationship with the surface.”

Talking about the match, Raducanu stated that she was really ‘proud’ of her performance against an opponent who had a lot of experience and had a good record while playing on clay. “I was playing Daria who is a great opponent,” she said. “So experienced in general and specially I think on this surface. I am really proud of my performance how I came out and I was really aggressive and how I managed to maintain my focus.”

Raducanu will now face America’s Danielle Collins in the round of 16 on Wednesday. The 31-year-old defeated her fellow countrywoman Sofia Kenin in the round of 32 with a score of 6-1, 1-6, 6-2 to cement her spot in the second round of the competition. This will be the first-ever meeting between the two players in professional tennis.