Staff Reporter.
(ESPN) – British No. 1 Emma Raducanu came from behind to beat American Ann Li in the first round of the Eastbourne Open on Tuesday and held back tears after a hard-fought victory.
It was Li who took the early advantage but Raducanu stormed back to win 6-7, 6-3, 6-1.
Raducanu looked to be in some discomfort in the first set after slipping and could be seen stretching her right leg, having also been dealing with a back injury in the build-up to the tournament.
Although she lost the opening set, she broke back at the start of the second to get some momentum.
From there, the Brit grew into the match and took the second set 6-3 to force a decider.
Mistakes from Li in the third allowed Raducanu to get on top and quickly take a 4-1 lead. The 22-year-old didn’t look back and dominated Li in every area to win the match in convincing fashion.
“I want to thank the crowd for getting me through some really sticky moments,” Raducanu said.
“It really meant a lot to me and I’m really proud of how I fought back after losing the first set.
“It was tough, it was up and down. But from the middle of the second set I think I found another gear and another level.”
Earlier, British singles No. 4 Harriet Dart was knocked out at Eastbourne after failing to capitalise on two match points in a game delayed twice by the rain on the south coast.
Dart fell 3-6, 7-6, 5-7 to last year’s Wimbledon winner Krejčíková.
In a match impacted by the weather, both Dart and Krejčíková struggled to gain rhythm in windy conditions.
Dart lost the first set convincingly before fighting back in the second to win a tiebreak and take the game to a third set.
After leading the final set and getting to match point twice, Dart couldn’t close the game out as Krejčíková held and went on to win the third set 7-5 outlining her grass court credentials as she looks to defend her Wimbledon title come July.
Czech world No. 17 Krejčíková will now play British wildcard Jodie Burrage in the second round.