Emma Raducanu had to come from behind as she made a winning start to her Eastbourne campaign on Tuesday.
The British number one saw off unseeded Ann Li 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-1 on Centre Court in their first round clash.
Raducanu made a winning start to her Eastbourne Open campaignShutterstock Editorial The British no.1 fought back tears after her comeback victory over LiAFP or licensorsShe will now face Australia’s Maya Joint in the last 16 on Wednesday as her Wimbledon preparations continue.
After dropping the first set tie-break, Raducanu capitalised on Li’s errors to mount a strong recovery and clinch victory.
The hard-fought win came in front of a passionate home crowd in East Sussex.
An emotional Raducanu, who burst into tears once her victory was confirmed, paid tribute to the support as she spoke on-court following the match.
Fighting back tears, the 22-year-old said: “It feels incredible. I want to thank the crowd for getting me through some really sticky moments.
“It really meant a lot to me and I’m really proud of how I fought back after losing the first set.
“I’m very, very happy to come through that today.
“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.”
Her appearance at the Eastbourne Open followed a withdrawal from last week’s Berlin Open.
Raducanu had opted against appearing at the event in a bid to aid her recovery from a back injury.
An emotional Raducanu thanked the home crowd for their supportAFP or licensorsView Tweet: t.co/Up1Eh0x5J9
The issue comes ahead of Wimbledon, which gets underway on Monday.
She will be hoping to surpass her previous best performance at Eastbourne in preparation for her SW19 return.
Raducanu beat Sloane Stephens and Jessica Pegula 12 months ago before a quarter-final defeat to eventual champion Daria Kasatkina.
As the seventh seed this time around, she will be aiming to become the first British winner of the event since Virginia Wade in 1975.
The world no.38 was also supported by her coach Mark Petchey during the match.
Asked about the support of her coaching team, she added: “It’s working really well, it was really nice to have a lot of support.
The former US Open champion will be back in action on WednesdayAFP or licensors“It’s going really well with Mark and I’m just looking forward to playing tomorrow.”
Petchey has been working with the former US Open champion in an informal capacity since March.
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