Raducanu starts Roig era with Cincinnati win

Emma Raducanu starts working with coach Francisco Roig with a straight-sets win at the Cincinnati Open.

Raducanu begins Roig partnership with victory against Danilovic in Cincinnati

Emma Raducanu’s first match with new coach Francisco Roig ended in a straightforward 6-3 6-2 win over Olga Danilovic at the Cincinnati Open. The 30th seed overcame a tough start on a hot, humid day and found rhythm with solid returning and steady defense. The result marks a positive start to the Roig era as Raducanu shows she can handle pressure and close out sets.

Raducanu now heads to round three, where she could meet either world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka or 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova. In Cincinnati two years ago she showed the court speed suits her game, but this edition brings tougher conditions and a greater test against top competition. Her recent form on hard courts includes a Washington semi-final and Montreal wins, signaling a renewed level of match toughness as she builds toward the next Grand Slam stretch.

The Roig appointment comes as Raducanu moves past a period of uneven results against lower-ranked opponents. A calmer serve return and pressure-based defense suggest a shaping of her game that can translate on faster surfaces and in longer rallies. The challenge is to maintain this balance against higher-ranked opponents who can disrupt her rhythm. If Roig can guide her to consistent patterns of aggressive timing and movement, Raducanu could convert early promise into deeper runs on the big stages. The Cincinnati heat adds another test that could reveal how well her conditioning and court sense have evolved under the new coaching.

Highlights

The road ahead will reveal how much the Roig partnership can lift her in high-stakes matches.