Raducanu posts first round victory at US Open since 2021; Shnaider bags Monterrey Open title

Emma Raducanu bagged her first US Open victory since her fairytale 2021 title triumph on Sunday with a straight sets demolition of Japanese qualifier Ena Shibahara.

The Briton was in complete control throughout, breaking Shibahara’s serve routinely on her way to a 6-1, 6-2 drubbing on the Louis Armstrong Stadium showcourt.

The win was Raducanu’s first at the US Open since she made history four years ago, winning the championship as a little-known qualifier at the age of 18.

She was knocked out in the US Open first round in 2022, missed the 2023 tournament due to injury, and exited in the first round again in 2024.

“I’m very pleased to have come through that match,” Raducanu said afterwards. “First rounds are very challenging always, the nerves, and I wanted to win a match here really bad.”

Raducanu admitted that her failure to win in New York since her memorable title triumph four years ago had begun to weigh on her.

“It has been on my mind,” she said. “It’s been four years, and it’s a very special tournament for me. I did feel different coming into it this year.

“I felt like I was doing the right things day-to-day, but still, it’s in the back of your head. So I’m just very pleased to have overcome that.”

Raducanu added that a rushed start early Sunday had added to her nervousness beforehand.

“I was nervous this morning after practice. There’s not much time playing first on,” she said. “You’re kind of rushing to do things.

“After I came out of the shower, I felt like I kind of just got into the zone, got my match kit on, and that, for me, is a shift of, ‘OK, you’re going to get ready, lock in now.’ Then I relaxed.”

Raducanu, who describes the US Open as her “happy place” despite her record since 2021, said her mood is brightened by seeing familiar faces that she remembers from four years ago.

“There was this one security guard who is still here working,” she said. “Whenever I see him, he was there from the very, very start of the first round of quallies, second round, and all the way through to the final, and to see him around is really special.”

Meanwhile, Russian Diana Shnaider continued her impressive winning streak in tour-level finals at the Monterrey Open on Saturday, beating compatriot Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4 4-6 6-4 in the WTA 500 event’s final.

Shnaider had little trouble in the opening set but struggled in a topsy-turvy second, as Alexandrova clinched the set’s fifth and decisive break at 5-4 to force a decider.

Third seed Shnaider carved out an advantage early on in the third set when she broke Alexandrova in the first game and held serve to go 2-0 up, an advantage she would not relinquish.

World number 12 Shnaider is now unbeaten in her last five finals on the WTA Tour, adding the Monterrey crown to her triumphs in Hong Kong, Budapest, Bad Homburg and Hua Hin last year.

Bryan Brothers, Sharapova feted during Hall of Fame induction: Serena Williams made a a surprise — and early — appearance at the International Tennis Hall of Fame, emerging from behind the stage to introduce “former rival, former fan and forever friend” Maria Sharapova for her induction on Saturday.

Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam champion who will be eligible for her own enshrinement in 2027, drew gasps and shrieks from the crowd at the Newport shrine.

“There are only a few players in my career who challenged me to be the very best, every single time we stepped out on the court,” Williams said.

The first Russian woman ever to reach No. 1 in the rankings and one of 10 women to complete the career Grand Slam, Sharapova was joined in the Class of 2025 by dominating doubles team Mike and Bob Bryan. The twin brothers finished their speech with one of their trademark chest bumps.

Hall of Famers Martina Navratilova, Jim Courier, Stan Smith and Andy Roddick were among those in the crowd, wearing their blue Hall of Fame blazers. Sharapova and the Bryan brothers also received a cast tennis racket that is the hall’s newest offering to inductees.

Agencies