Raducanu stars for Great Britain and issues fresh rallying call

It proved a day of firsts for Great Britain’s Emma Raducanu.

Making her Billie Jean King Cup by BNP Paribas debut, the 19-year-old contested her first professional match on clay and, as it happened, chalked up her first career victory on the surface.

Raducanu’s victim was Tereza Martincova, who is ranked 38 places below the reigning US Open champion in the world rankings but has far greater clay-court experience, while the Czech Lawn Tennis Club – the venue for the tie – is her home club.

Regardless of the whys and wherefores, Raducanu’s heroics levelled an enthralling Qualifier against Czech Republic following Marketa Vondrousova’s earlier rout of Harriet Dart. Vondrousova needed just 55 minutes to dispatch her rival 6-1 6-0.

It paves the way for an intriguing second day, which is set to see Raducanu do battle with Vondrousova before Dart draws swords with Martincova, all of which precedes a potential doubles decider.

As for today, it has been well documented that Raducanu has failed to find the form which saw her conquer Flushing Meadows in September. However, this victory may well be an important step on her journey to once again scaling such dizzying heights.  

“This win means so much to me,” said Raducanu. “It is my first Billie Jean King Cup match and to come out and represent my team like I did in my first professional match on clay is really amazing.

“It definitely means so much because this year I have been playing really good tennis for a set, maybe a set and a half, and then my energy dips and I find myself in an absolute battle.

“Today, I felt it was another step in the right direction because I managed to overcome that, so that gives me a lot of confidence.

“For the team also, we’re still in this. We’re still in this battle and we’re fighting. Tomorrow, I face Marketa and, of course, she is a great player. She made the final of Roland Garros [in 2019] and she loves clay, but I’m looking forward to playing her.

“It will be a great test to see where I am at on clay and build for the rest of the season because all tournaments are going to have this quality of opposition.

“I am looking forward to seeing how my game measures up and if you’re going to have a challenge, why not pick the toughest one? I’m up for that challenge and who knows what will happen? The team is really pumped and looking forward to it.”

It was not looking promising for Raducanu at one stage, with Martincova breaking her serve to take a 5-4 lead in the opening set, only for the British teenager to turn the tide with a three-game winning streak, including two breaks of her own.

Far from plain sailing in the second set, Raducanu was forced to recover from 3-0 and then 4-1 down but did not shirk the challenge and continued to grow in stature, showing great variety in her game.

She eventually prevailed 7-5 7-5 – a scintillating comeback which prompted scenes of jubilation on the Great Britain bench.

“It is amazing to be in a team atmosphere,” added Raducanu. “I have been part of this team twice before but to be out there playing a singles match is really amazing. I definitely felt the team were behind me every step of the way.

“It is a lot of fun when you’re on the bench and Anne [Keothavong, Great Britain’s captain] can tell you things and the team are feeding back. One thing we’re doing which is really nice is we’re asking for everyone’s opinion, and everyone is contributing.”

A focus on the collective is a vibe deliberately put in place by Keothavong and the same will apply tomorrow as Great Britain bid for a victory which will propel them to November’s Billie Jean King Cup by BNP Paribas Finals.

“There is something to build on,” said Keothavong. “I have to remain optimistic, and we go in to tomorrow believing we have a good chance.

“We came here as underdogs. The Czechs were the heavy favourites and still are, but we will review how both matches went today and put together a game-plan and the players will be as prepped as possible.

“That said, we can put all the game-plans in place but it requires the players to be able to execute and do so under pressure. Emma did that today and it was a really gutsy performance from her.  

“For her to be able to close that match out in straight sets, it took a huge effort. But it was a real team effort as the rest of the players and the rest of the support staff all chipped in.

“They are all seeing the match through a different lens and from a different angle and they are there to help and support. Tactically, it evolved as the match went on and there were certain patterns of play we were picking up on.

“It was about reminding Emma and encouraging her to be stubborn in her approach. She had to really dig deep and fight.”

The Czechs, however, have a fearsome Billie Jean King Cup record to protect and will not go quietly. Quite simply, they have not topped the competition's podium on six occasions since 2011 without being able to overcome the odd stumbling block.

Great Britain, however, appear a combative proposition and since the day belonged to Raducanu, perhaps it is only right that she has the final word.

“The Brits love being underdogs, by the way” she said.

Let battle recommence!